Keeping Calm & Carrying On

Love Calculator: A Lovey Dovey Layout

Thanks for joining me for another wedding-themed post. Our wedding is officially less than a year away! Should I start to feel the crunch? I hope not yet. No stress yet. ;) I recently created a scrapbook layout remember mine and Steven's five-year-dating anniversary.

I thought I'd share it with you today. I used my Lovey Dovey collection along with plenty of Sophisticates chipboard numbers.

If you read this journaling, the chipboard numbers will make much more sense to you!

Little did I know that exactly one year from this day (our five year anniversary) that Steven would  propose!

2.6 million minutes together. wow. Have you every calculated your love in months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds? It's kinda crazy.

1,825 days together.

This is one of my favorite pages as of recent. The photo of us isn't all that great, but I love what it means for how far we've made it, how long we've lasted and that it's just the beginning!

I {heart} "us"

It's a phrase that I say over and over again, "I love us." I thought for today's installment of Wedding Wednesday I'd reflect on some of those things that make us "us". There are things that we do, over and over again or places that we love that make them "us", or "our thing." Know what I mean? 

1. Fujiyama: Hibachi (and of course I must share this layout with it!) We discovered "hibachi" in Texas and ate out in Frisco at least once a week. While it cost us a pretty penny, it was "our thing," our date night each week and we looked forward to the delicious steak, crunchy edamome and sweet ginger dressing.

This layout is from my 27^th birthday, when Steven took me out for hibachi dinner at Fujiyama.

Papers by Doodlebug. Embellishments by Bella Blvd.

Love ripping and then curling my paper around the needle of my paper piercer. Make for great layering and texture(s) too.

It's quite crazy to believe that this time next year we will be just days away from the big wedding day and saying "i do." I honestly feel like it can't come fast enough, I'm so anxious and excited.

Throughout the six years that Steven and I have been dating we've seen hundreds of movies, eaten hundreds (yes I'm pretty sure hundreds) of steaks, DVR'd so many reality TV shows including Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Biggest Loser and so many more. 

Something else that makes "us" us is praying hand-in-hand almost every night simultaneously. I love this tradition as we both silently thank God for all our blessings and pray for the people we love or the will He has for us. 

We both have truly become puppy-dog-lovers and enjoy traveling together and watching sports.

These are just some of the things that we love to do together, and find ourselves doing over and over again....and never tiring of them.

Do you have traditions/rituals with your hubby or bf or fiance? Please share?! Maybe one or two of them will inspire a new date night for the two of us!

Puerto Rico Part 2: The Vacation.

As mentioned earlier, Steven and Justin flew into Puerto Rico post-workshops so that the four of us could enjoy a bit of R&R.

Did you know that PR is actually a small little island? We drove from one end to the other with Nilmarie a couple times actually!

Who wouldn't be in heaven with a beach 20 feet from your door and a view like this?!

I shared plenty of Instagram photos while we were in PR, but these are some of my favorites from the trip.

Justin and Jenna were a hoot to travel with. We had a great time, this being our first "couples" vacation. First we stayed at the hotel with this amazing view.

Then we stayed at The Palmas with the ocean right at the doorstep and beautiful walkways like this one...

The boys practiced a bit of water aerobics (haha-dorks!).

And after having dinner at Nilmarie's house one evening, both Steven and Justin fell in love with this Puerto Rican Beer that Tato (Nilmy's husband) introduced them to.

Can someone tell me why boys (even at this age) lay in the sand/ocean like this? I just don't get it....just makes me think of where all the mucky sand and water are going as each wave comes in!

We sure did have some delicious dinners!

and some great date nights.

It took me a solid 2-3 to actually wind down from "work-mode" and feel like I was on vacation. The sunlight was devine and always re-inspires me to start creating again as soon as I get home.

The NCAA Final Four games were on the weekend the boys were in PR. Steven and I were rootin' for Kansas, of course. 

Even though I worked out nearly every day...my diet consisted of Waaaaayyy to many of these pretty pool drinks ;)

Puerto Rico is a beautiful island. I'm so excited that it's another place that both Steven and I have been to together as a couple.

Where are some of your favorite vacation spots?

Just Us

Our vacation in Puerto Rico recently was wonderful. Here's one of my favorite photos from the week. I can't wait to share with you more from my visit at The Scrapbook Gallery, and the short vacation that followed. I'm still editing pictures....very soon I'll have more to share....

A kind of funny thing happened last week with my Basic Grey single page layout post (click here to view): I received a comment saying, 

"Nice post (but show us the whole page, too!) :) Great to have support and love in so many different families."  POSTED BY: Annamarie

So funny! I didn't realize until then that I didn't even share the completed layout. What a dork I am! Sorry about that! So she she is, the full 12x12" layout! Thanks for being patient with me.

Now, unto another scrap-happy layout, this one documenting Steven's 27^th birthday...

I'm lovin' buttons lately (most likely because Bella Blvd has manufactured our own now) and I "appreciate the process" that goes into choosing button styles, colors, textures, packaging and so much more! On this layout I put together a random modge-podge of different buttons from Jillibean Soup, Dear Lizzy and Doodlebug.

I typed up "Happy Birthday" sentiments and repeated it in rows across the sheet. After printing it onto white cardstock I cut it into strips as the "backdrop" for my page title, 27.

 I traced the 2 & 7 with a pencil onto the patterned paper (the numbers which were originally naked chipboard). Then I trimmed the patterned red gingham and adhered to to the front of the chip numbers.  

It's hard to believe that this is the only photo I have of us, let alone him on his 27^th birthday. So sad, right?  The patterned papers are from October Afternoon (plaid) and American Crafts/Pebbles (craft/white and red gingham on the letters).

With that, I hope you have a great week! I'm off in Puerto Rico teaching at the Scrapbook Gallery....I've prepped some posts so you have some fun stuff to read this week!

Bridesmaids Invites: Part 1

First things first, I take absolutely no credit for this invitation idea. It was not born in my brain. I was inspired by Bethany of "Rinse and Repeat" (check out her blog it's awesome---she's an amazing writer), after I saw her "Will You Be..." feature over at Wedding Chicks. Here's a peek of the cigar boxes she created and shipped to her soon-to-be wedding Bridesmaids:

(Visit the links above to see the entire feature! Photo credit: Bethany of Rinse & Repeat)

Now do you see why and how I was overcome with ideas and knew I had to "scrap-lift" the idea in my own way. All the credit belongs to Bethany though, for sure!

As I mentioned on Monday, I have narrowed down the theme/look of mine and Steven's wedding: Vintage Chic. Pink (of course)! Think pretty, lacey, rustic. oooh, I'm so excited just saying it!

First things first:

Why do this?

Well, I really wanted to find a creative way to invite my girls to stand next me at the altar on my big day. They're important to me, and I want them to feel important. I know what it takes to be in a wedding party & I want them to know that I am willing to go the extra mile for them too! Also, I know my sisters expect to be in the wedding (as they should) and so somehow I wanted to "surprise" them & change it up a bit. But mostly, I want the girls to have a preview of what's the come. I enjoy all the little details, and I think this invitation will make them feel special and more importantly, give them a glimpse into my mind so that they can see what I want and where I'm headed. Plus, who doesn't love to receive "fun mail"?? 

Part 1 of "Bridemaids Invites" I'll be Showing You:

"The Invite Box" and How I Altered It.

I found these boxes in the seasonal section at my local Michael's craft store a couple weeks ago. I've been working on this "top secret project" ever since then! These boxes are faux books that are actually meant for decorative home storage. The cover is secured closed magnetically, and the inside is lined with velvet fabric.

I love them because they are the perfect fit: weathered, brown and the perfect size (not too big and not too small ;). I wanted to customize the boxes to make them my own. So I bought some printable 8.5x11" canvas paper. (at my local JoAnn Fabrics store). Each canvas sheet is backed with paper so it's easy to feed into an ink-jet printer. 

After printing, simply peel away the paper backing and wha-la! (I also frayed the edges of my canvas by peeling apart the edges). I printed the exact same photo of Steven and I in two different sizes: one for the front cover and one for the spine of the faux books/boxes. 

Next, I used my favorite Scotch liquid glue & a cheapy paintbrush to adhere & seal the canvas photo to the faux books. Here's a visual step-by-step.

Step and repeat, step and repeat (in my case x8 for the girls that I have invited to be in my wedding party). What do you think??? You like?

Now for the fun part: embellishing the cover!

I've been thrifting around town on the weekends (Goodwill, USA Family Thrift, Antiques on Second and more awesome shops in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward). I found this super awesome lacey tablecloth at USA Thrift for $2.50

SCORE! Seriously, only two dollars and fifty cents. (I wish they had 50 of them!) I cut the tablecloth into strips: wrapped and then tied a knot around the entire front and inside covers. 

Then I printed a sweet, romantical quote (for the front cover) onto cardstock, cut it into strips and adhered with the same Scotch glue. I finished the boxes by embellishing with Prima paper roses, a hand-cut paper leaf and some of Bella's wooden buttons.

Lovin' me some texture!

Don't you want to see what's inside? What the girls saw when they opened their happy mail?! Later today I'll show you the contents in detail! Be sure to stop back!!

Wedding Wednesday: Getting Inspired

Welcome back to another Wednesday Wednesday! Today I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite online sites for searching out fun ideas for mine and Steven's wedding day!

MY WEDDING FAVORS:

ONE HEART WEDDINGS:

ONCE WED:

and... INSPIRED BRIDE:

This internet thing is kind of amazing. I get lost for hours and realize I'm not a millionaire. ha! 

I'd love to find more cool places to spend endless hours at night keeping me awake and thinking about my wedding day in 2013. (Yes, we have agreed on that at least ;) Leave a comment below with a link or links! I can't wait to discover something new!

New Feature!

I figured since my name will be changing that you should start getting used to how to pronounce it sooner rather than later! ;) Welcome to a new feature around here. I thought this would be a fun way to keep you updated on our progress, ideas, details and other fun wedding-stuff.

We announced our engagment here on the blog, and ever since I've had several emails asking,

"when's the date"

"are you going to design a wedding line now?"

"what are you colors?"

Yikes! So many questions, so many decisions, so many ideas! It's a bit overwhelming! And, at this point I don't have any answers to those qustions yet. Ha. Steven & I have started checking out venues as "I have a vision!" ;) I'll keep you posted!

Meanwhile, I've been pinning away on Pinterest as I created a "Wedding Inspiration" board of my own:

I've also printed a gazillion things from a gazillion different places and started a "Wedding Binder." Here's a Glimpse...

Yes, you are quickly seeing my "a-type" personality come to life ;) hehe.

I'm clipping, pasting, doodling, writing...almost like a sketchbook!

You know what I think would be so cool?! To keep this binder in a trunk---maybe with my wedding gown after our big day ---- and let it age. Meaning, in 20-30 years when my children are grown up and getting married....it would be crazy to see how times, colors, prices and trends have all evolved and changed! I think that would be such an awesome time capsule!

So I'll hope you share pieces of this journey with me. Share links, tell me stories, give me advice, recipes, whatever you think I need as a wife.....I'm game :)

Until next time....ciao ciao!

Guess What?!?

Happy New Year: Photo Recap

I've been busy sharing layouts around here that I shared my face that much :) Even though that's probably a blessing for you...I thought I'd say hello via some visual pictures from New Year's Eve.

After a wonderful dinner in the village of Wauwatosa at Firefly with some great friends we headed out to a local bar for the "regular" festivities!

It really is hilarious looking at these pictures knowing I was hoping to get at least one "good one!" I look like a peacock because Steven's "Happy New Year" headband did want to stay on his head.....not to mention how fake and cheesy his smile is. Ha, it just cracks me up!

This is the best one I got after editing out all the neon bar-signage in the background and making it black and white. It's kind-of good, right?

Well, Happy New Year! Whatever your resolutions, affirmations, hopes and dreams are for 2012 my prayer for you is that you have the willpower to stick to them, achieve and surpass each and every one!

Before I let you go...did you see that there's TWO different giveaways going on over at the Bella Blvd Blog? This is your chance to win some free scrapbooking goodies! Stop over and leave a comment telling me what you'd like to see from Bella Blvd in the next product release, 6 months from now in July-you have until Friday before we randomly select winners! I love hearing yoru requests...plus you could win some of this:

Lovey Dovey Collection....See Lovey Dovey Product Ideas Here

and this...

The Socialite Collection....See Socialite Product Ideas Here

Good Luck!

White on White: A Wedding Layout

I've been inspired lately by so many tone-on-tone layouts I'm seeing. I'm not quite sure if I've missed the trend or not, but I wanted to give it a try. I played with some white cardstock, some Matha Stewart Doilies and some misc elements as well to add some pops of color.

These photos are from a family wedding last summer. I know we look hot and sweaty (which we are from dancing all night long...) but they capture my Steven so perfectly. After all this time, he still gives me grief about taking so many photos and doesn't make it easy for me!

One of Bella's past Artistas, Michelle Clement, inspired me to document the date and year in this more out-of-the-norm way by writing out the date with sticker letters.

I layered lots of the doilies on top of each other with pop-up adhesives, added some buttons and October Afternoon elements. But, even if it was just a few sentences, I had to document by journaling; and here's the truth of it....

He's like five years old sometimes making crazy faces....but these photos are so "us" and that's why I love this layout.

And here's a look at the layout side-by-side.

So, what do you think?

Layout: A Sweet Surprise

I'm posting today from Nevada as Inspiration Unlimited is officially underway. For those of you ever considering a scrapbooking event to invest in with your girlfriends each year this is most definitely it. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is first-class. It's the second time I've taught at the event hosted by the brilliant Teresa Collins and hostess extraordinare, Ginger Nelson of Down to Details. So what does this have to do with my layout share today?

One word: Romantical.

I am a hopeless romantic. I love flowers, surprises, snuggles and anything and everything that's planned "just because." Last year Steven planned a sweet little surprise date. He drove me downtown to Bastille days by the lakefront. This was the only photo we got together, seeing that it was just the two of us.

So...when IU is over, my love Steven is flying out to Vegas to spend a mini-3 day vacation with me at this beautiful resort. We have tickets to KA and I can't wait to just relax by the pool with him. It's bound to be romantical.  ;)

A little embellishing with Doodlebug's cardstock stickers.

My journaling tells a bit more of the story to help us always remember.

Why Do You Love Me Layout

Just a quick share for you today. Yup-it's mushy but you know what? I can't help it, I love him! The question is....will we ever get married? haha ;)

I'm so proud that he's finished school and stuck with it! The surprise graduation party we through over the weekend was a blast....I'll never 100% know if Steven was really surprised or not, but in the end I know he was happy to have everyone's support & encouragement. I hope to share pictures soon!

Congrats love!

A My Mind's Eye Layout

He takes care of me in so many ways--it really is true. I owe him *a lot*. How do you pay someone back for so much love?

More of December Part 1

I know we're half-way into January, but I haven't had a chance to blog for a while, so I'd like to share more of 2010 with you. My 27th birthday was fabulous. My entire family, Steven, Morgan and I went to a special Christmas Choral service at church in the morning, then out to brunch at one of my favorite local places, Baker's Square. After some football, Steven took me to dinner at my favorite-Fujiyama. Look how cute he was, he got all dressed up for little-old me!

I'm loving, as always, being Auntie Stephanie. I got to hang a lot with the kids in December, including taking them shopping to buy mommy Christmas presents, baking lots of cookies, wrapping, watching movies, playing xBox NBA Jam (okay, that was Steven with them!) and more...

Just some fun shots Anabelle, Carson and I took together...

I had coffee with some of my scrapbookin' peeps and exchanged gifts....

and was on-the-ball and got all my Chrsitmas cards out this year in time--I couldn't believe it myself!