head over to my new blog!

Be sure to head over to my new blog. I have several new posts up along with some others coming soon, including Project Life etsy shop updates. After you click over you can follow my blog over on the left hand sidebar (you don't have to be a typepad user to follow). I'm not sure how many people are making it over there yet but if you 'follow me' then I'll know!! So be sure to c'mon over :)

a new year, a new blog!

I've been contemplating this move for a few months. I haven't been all that thrilled with blogger lately, especially when uploading photos. So I've decided to head over to a new blog.

You can now find me here:

http://michellewhitlow.typepad.com

I hope to see you over there!!

stuff to share...

So, I have some stuff to share. 

But I can't for 2 reasons: 1) I'm working on a new blog & would rather share on the new one, & 2) I can't upload any pics because I need to pay for my google storage (which I don't want to because of #1!)

I have my cover page & first week done of Project Life

More pics of my December Daily

Etsy shop update

Good stuff! 

I'm hoping to have the new blog up & running here very shortly. Right now it's very plain & very basic. Trying to learn a new way of blogging is a little confusing...but I'll get there! 

So I hope to be back shortly!!

December Daily 2011 {days 3-7}

What better way to ring in the new year than to finish up unfinished projects from last year. And goodness knows I have a lot of unfinished projects from last year...what, with a cross country move & a new baby!

I have pretty much finished up my December Daily with the exception of a few days that I'm working on and I'll be sharing the pages over the next few days. I'm also working on getting caught up on Project Life...both the family album and Addie's album. So I have lots to share over the coming days!

Left side is the backside to day 2, right side day 3 & 4. 

When I was working on my December Daily I originally figured I would do a front & back side for each day. Then I realized I don't always have enough to share for the front & back of a page which is why days 3 & 4 are combined.

 

Left side - journaling for days 3 & 4. Right side - day 5. 

I didn't have anything to share for day 5 so I used a picture of my daughter's paper chain & snowflake decorating that she did Thanksgiving weekend. 

The picture was taken at the end of November but that doesn't matter to me. It's still part of our holiday decorating! Star punch is Stampin' Up.

The left side is the back of day 5. I just love the print of this OA paper so I left it as is. The right side is the beginnings of day 6. We had a lot going on that day - Christmas shopping in the morning with the hubs, then an orchestra concert & holiday program at school. So I have a few pages for day 6.

In the envelope I have some photobooth pics that the hubs, Addie & I took at the mall. Sometimes it's fun to just stop & take those :)

I journaled right on the back of the envelope. On the right side I have flocked snowflake paper as a little divider between the envelope & the rest of day 6's pages.

I love how you can see through to the next page. I added some Stickles on the edge.

More of day 6.

The left side is journaling, the right side holds school programs.  I found the page protectors at Staples. They were nearly the perfect size (5 1/2 x 8 1/2) so I just trimmed a bit off the top. Even the holes matched up in my album. Bonus!
The hubs & I had to split up that night because my 2 oldest both had holiday programs going on the same night. I couldn't find a journaling tag I liked for this page so I grabbed one from my new Project Life kit.

The right side is from the same night with my daughter's orchestra concert. I still need to find the program from that night to put in the album.

Left side day 7, right side day 8. I cut down a trading card page to put some photos of the frost covered trees for day 8. Still not sure if I'm going to add anything to that side or not.

So how did you do on your December Daily?? Did you finish?? Still working on it??

11 in 2011

Happy New Year! I normally don't do this but since this was a pretty big year for our family I thought I'd share some of my favorite layouts/projects of 2011. 

So, in no particular order...

A big hug for Pooh - Noel Mignon {love} the photos 
in this layout

 

Sweet Anticipation - Noel Mignon

Pure Sweetness - Noel Mignon

 Addie at 2 months - Noel Mignon

 

Glimpses of You - Noel Mignon

First Snow - 3 Scrappy Boys

You Two

 My girls - Noel Mignon

Nostalgia - Noel Mignon

 Let's Paint - Noel Mignon

Thankful - 3 Scrappy Boys

And an 'honorable mention'

Little Did I Know - I just love this layout because this photo was taken just 2 days before Addie was born :) I still remember the day like it was yesterday.

And a couple of my other favorite projects this year:

 Baby Gift from a drink container

 

Altered frame for Addie's nursery

Travel mini

Whenever I go back & look at the layouts & projects I've done, I realize just how much I love this hobby & how much I cherish that our family memories are recorded. I love looking back and reliving the memories. And I love that my children love looking through them just as much as I do!

First Snow!

As I was going through all of the layouts that I've created this year it occurred to me that I never shared this one. I shared it over on the 3 Scrappy Boys blog but I guess I forgot to share it here!

I made this one using the December Add-On kit which has several Lily Bee papers in it that I just love. Isn't that newsprint paper wonderful??!

I kept the layout fairly simple, letting the photos speak for themselves. I did add some stitching to the circles & Stickles to the alphas to make them sparkle a bit...like snow!

Happy New Year's Eve!

mini cinnamon rolls with orange glaze

Yes, I have more cinnamon rolls to share! Remember the cute little mini cinnamon rolls I shared a couple weeks ago?? Well, I've made an improvement. One of my favorite cinnamon rolls are the Pillsbury orange rolls. Makes my mouth water just thinking about them :)

I kept the recipe for the mini cinnamon rolls the same but changed the recipe for the glaze/frosting. 

Make 2 rectangles from 4 of the triangles of crescent rolls pressed together, brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon & brown sugar. 

I am very liberal with the cinnamon & brown sugar :) Roll up & cut into 8-9 pieces & place in a well greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 for 10-11 min.

Don't they look yummy?? 

For the glaze, mix: 
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1-2T milk
2T melted butter
1/2 tsp orange extract

Drizzle on your cinnamon rolls, enjoy & wish that you had made a double batch!

 

Thankful

This is one of my favorite photos of Addie right now. Love it :)

I created this layout using the 3 Scrappy Boys December Add-On kit. I cut the 'count your blessings' from the twill ribbon in the November Trio kit and also added some Studio Calico tissue scraps along the bottom of the photo.

the day after...

We are still hanging out, the kids playing with their Christmas presents, being lazy, being together. I love hanging out the day after Christmas. Nowhere to go, just be home & relax!

I'm not one of those people who tears everything down the day after. I like to savor it. Enjoy it. I almost hate checking facebook the day after because inevitably there are people making comments like 'glad it's over', 'can't wait to get this tree down', 'ready for it to be done'. Really?? Oh sure, the tornado of Christmas paper that ran through my house yesterday left destruction in it's path. But it also left 3 happy children!

It was Addie's first Christmas. There won't be another like it. Oh sure, next year will be great. It'll be so much fun with her walking & saying a handful of words. But there only one first!

It snowed just a little bit on Christmas Eve which was very exciting. 

Not snowman making snow but just enough to get us excited! 

The kids made gingerbread houses while I made some cookies for Santa :)

We went to church on Christmas Eve as usual. 

Then stopped at Starbucks on the way home for some yummy hot chocolate. The kids wanted that to be our new tradition :)

Christmas morning was wonderful...even though I was dead tired from all of my children keeping me up all.night.long. 

It was a Lego's Christmas for Ben & girly stuff from Justice & American Girl for Olivia...and a few baby toys for Addie :)

We spent the entire day in pjs, enjoyed some Christmas music from my new cd, had yummy food, cookies & holiday punch.

And we tried to whip each other's butts at Mario Kart

Addie cracked me up at her fascination with the wrapping paper

Those eyes! hehe That's her latest look over the last couple of days. I have several pics of her doing that. One of her favorite toys was the puppy her big brother & sister got for her :)

That and her Fozzie Bear...

And the kids got me a hee-larious Beaker ornament & a Mickey Mouse popcorn bowl.

Yes, they certainly know me well. And yes, I was still in my pjs, it was about 9pm and that was my dinner :)

And now I have to tear down the Christmas tree...not because I want it down but because it is so dried out that it has become a fire hazard. Boo! So that's what I'll be doing tomorrow. Gonna leave it up just one more day :) All of the other decorations will stay up til New Year's Day.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!