Compliments of Big Sister Journey!

So something new I want to do is a Fab Finds post once a week, and I love alliteration, so I’m going for the Fab Finds Friday, fokay? (if you want to join me, I’ll start a list for Fab Find Friday’s too )

I am addicted to Etsy. Truly addicted. So much so that I now have a $20 per paycheck etsy budget. I have Jon send me $20 per paycheck and put it in my Paypal account. I can spend it or save it for later, bigger, etsy purchases.

I’m really into prints right now. Prints are HUGE on etsy, and they are a banging way to spruce up your home. I LOVE how many varied styles and content you can find. My favorites are sayings with cool typography, cute little animals or kids:D, and alphabet prints. Here are a few alphabet prints I found this week!

I LOVE the cute illustrations that Creative Thursday does. The stuff is pretty pricey, but I this was probably my favorite alphabet print I found.

I love this ASL poster by Billy Craven. I could find a place for it in my house for sure. Jon and I both have some background and interest in ASL, even though we haven’t used it for years!

This shop called Thrasher and Wren was super cute. They have a LOT of interesting and adorable alphabet prints including this umbrella one! CHECK EM OUT!

This shop, Ink Tree Press, was more on the traditional side of the Alphabet poster spectrum. They had a really cute woodland creature set though, and I thought this Cosmonaut scheme was totally adorable. They are having a buy one get one free poster sale right now, so get on that

Lastly is this print from Sparkle Power’s shop. I love this print (I think this is the one I might settle on!) It is at a good price point and its yellow It also comes in pink if you are interested!!!

Well, I’m going to be trying to implement some regular blog postings into my week. One of the favorite things I used to do here was Things I Love Thursday. I’m bringing it back

The concept is to expound on one thing that you love, or just make a list, or even just a photo. (link back here if you participate, and I’ll add you to the list!)

Today I love:

I love my brother Joel and his family! Kathy is one of my best friends. I love her like a sister. This morning they went to the hospital to have baby #3. So exciting! We hope its a boy, b/c there are just so many girls in the family now (when I was growing up, we were completely utterly DROWNING in boys, and now, the girls have officially taken over with the addition of Jovi and Ashley ) I’m expecting a call any minute now telling me baby news, and we are all so excited.

So today, today I’m loving my brother and his little growing family, a lot!

So much crazy is going on. But God is in control. Of that I can be sure…that’s pretty much the ONLY thing I’m sure about…

When I come back from my parent’s there is always this kind of disconnect in me. When I’m there, there is always a lot of time to think, and plan, and then when I get back here, LIFE HAPPENS I had all these ideas and adventures planned, and I got back home, and the car is broken, I’m tired, the house is a crap heap, etc etc etc…and all my plans fly out the window.

Well, the car is being bought, that’s a blessing and a curse! The tiredness is going away (baby is sleeping through the night!) House is getting cleaned little by little, b/c we can’t go anywhere My plans and ideas are being implemented a tiny bit at a time.

So we are back to reality. I can’t wait to see what the next few months hold!

A few more from Scrapbook.com

I thought I was being clever with that flower from Pink Paislee, but apparently they already have one of those flowers on their website Oh well, you can’t win them all.

My cousin and her husband always send the coolest Christmas cards. This one was my favorite so far. I had to scrap it!

The day Jovi wore that outfit for the first time, Jon got a little verklempt. It just struck him that not every baby knew that their Daddy loved them. Our kids know that for sure. I love love love the Girl’s Paperie line, especially for my cutie baby photos!

Its finally sinking in.

I’m leaving here in in one sleep.

My mama won’t see Jovi again until she is walking.

It will be her first birthday at the earliest

It hurts my heart to think about not seeing my parents for almost a year. I talk to them all the time on the phone, but its just not the same.

I miss my hubby. I’m ready to get back the swing of things. But I just get weird and nostalgic when its time to leave here. I’m jealous that my brother is going on a beach vacay with my parents next week. I’m sad that my SIL’s going to have a new baby and I’m stuck on the West Coast (I probably won’t see him/her till they are a year or more old). I’m afraid we just won’t see anyone for a long long time.

I’ve always been a deep thinker, but right now I have so so much going on upstairs right now, its overwhelming.

One of the things that has always amazed me about my Aunt Nancy is how magical she is! She encourages all the people around her to use their imagination.

I remember when I was a little girl she would send me letters when she lived overseas. She would always draw me little pictures and call me JoyBird (a nickname I still use today)

She always would write love notes to her daughters on their lunch napkins. I remember when I stayed with her girls in High School for a couple of days, she asked me to write notes for them on their napkins, so she was still doing that into High School She also talks about making up stories with the girls all the time. She is famous for saying: “that would make a good short story.”

At breakfast the day we stayed with her she asked Jaden, “Pretend I’ve never met your Dad, tell me about him.” (that’s the kind of great questions she asks, AND IS INTERESTED IN YOUR ANSWER!!!)

This is how Jaden described Jon:

He is a Photographer.
He is a Hard Drive Expert (LOL, he write software for a living, but that’s close)
He really really loves me.
He takes me to church every Sunday.
He stays home with us every Saturday and Sunday.

Isn’t that cute. I love that she shared that with me!

I’m almost done sharing my layouts from the past year, but here are a few more:

I am kind of obsessed with October Afternoon papers, but because of their “interesting” customer service, I can’t find it very many places. Scrapbook.com was selling some pieces, and I was so psyched, but they haven’t sold any new lines since this “Ducks in a Row” set.

Love my SIL’s, don’t love this photo, but I think its the only one we have together I’m kind of tag obsessed, and those Dolce Thickers are teh bomb (sigh.)

These pictures just tickle me. These boys are so cute when they are together. (which isn’t often) My mom had the smart idea to buy nerf guns for the trip to NY State, and the boys had so much fun playing with them. It was Epic. LOL! Sassafras is so great for kids layouts! So fun and bright!

It is fascinating to me to see how different people view life (and themselves.) I am a great lover of learning about people and seeing how their brains work.

I talked to my Aunt Nancy at length this weekend, which I haven’t done in a long long time…and I so admire her positive outlook on life. Now she hasn’t had a particularly hard life, but I’m thinking even if she had, she would still be positive. She turns everything into a joke, loves to laugh, and truly sees the good side of everything. I love it!

I want to be like her when I grow up. I have a hard time just digging out of the mire of the every day annoyances. I’m giving this to Him daily though, and little by little I’m changing (for the better)

a few more layouts:

Seriously, you gotta love Cosmo. These papers just said yummy warm soup to me I love love love the kitchen-y accents. Minestrone soup is one of our fall favorites. I can’t wait to make it again.

Seriously, there are so many things that Jaden does that are so so random. This photo that Jon caught of him is exactly perfectly random and nerdy. It is SO HIM. I have had a love affair with Bella Blvd. papers, since their birthday line a few years ago. I love this super stud line too.

These photos are from the first month we were in Seattle. We didn’t know ANYONE. We didn’t have any furniture or cable. We were just touring Seattle and taking photos. These just take me back to that time. I used a lot of different product on here…and LOVE how this one came out.

Things I’ll miss when I go home:

1) my mom cooking for me
2) my mom and dad taking care of the kids so I can go on a date with Jon or do something for myself.
3) spending time with my nieces and nephews
4) staying up super late (jon’s not here, so I don’t feel bad )
5) DVR
6) a nice washer and dryer
7) A/C
8 ) a clean house
9) talking with my dad
10) XM Backspin station

a few more:

My girl is a SINGER! She is always singing. I have some cutie photos of her dancing around with earphones on, but I loved the colors in these photos, and really liked Cosmo Cricket’s Boyfriend line with them.

I HATE this photo. LOL. It really is terrible. BUT, it is exactly how my friend Chris and I look when we are together. We crack each other up. Sass Monstrosity goes so well with the happy!

Oh my boy. He is a PILL! The shirt fits him to a tee Gotta love Bella Blvd.

8 photos. 1 zoo trip. 1 embellishment. Nice and simple and the story is told.

a meme from one of my favorite ladies Tink!

listening: to the sounds of silence. this is why I stay up late…nobody bothers me.
eating: oatmeal, blueberries and fat free 1/2 and 1/2. teh YUM!
drinking: too much soda I need to get back to water again.
wearing: the same clothes over and over…that’s the draw back to extended visits
feeling: a little melancholy about leaving next week. excited about visiting my auntie and uncle tomorrow.
weather: HOT! and cold (constant A/C pumping)
wanting: to magically transfer all my friends to one location so I can be with them all at once.
needing: my baby to sleep more than 3 hours at a time. Its been a LONG time since I’ve had a “real” sleep
thinking: about being a better person.
enjoying: hanging with my family.
wondering: when we will ever move back east.

more.old.layouts

I love these photos of Jaden from the hospital. He was so squishy, and not cute, but cute, yah know? This was one of my favorite layouts I made this month I love me some banners (still.)

When we first moved to Seattle we were still using our Nikon N70 (film) camera. This was on one of the last rolls of film I shot before we switched to the D70 Digital. I had these photos hanging in my house for awhile, but finally moved them to a layout The kids monkey faces! Gotta love Sassafras for their bright CWAZY papers. That monkey is also one I’ve used a lot on cards. He was left over from my card class. I think he’s perfect on here.

I don’t know if I LOVE this layout or not…something about that queer blue strip bothers me, but I love love love the photo of my brother Joel and his fam. I also really like the snowflakes I used (another Cricut cutout). That snowflake paper is one of my favorites. I’m a fan of small patterns

My boy is a WILDMAN!!!! He definitely loves touching all sorts of cweepy things (more cricut cutouts!) I love the brown “jungley” paper, and the brown, green, and red together makes me happy!

Man, these trips are hard on me. Coming out here and staying with my family reminds me of just how much I really miss them. When I’m here I try to soak up the family love as much as I can, but it is still REALLY REALLY HARD to go home.

I love Seattle. I love the people there, but they are just not family. I really feel like God is teaching me that my church family IS my family, but that’s a hard lesson to learn. Being vulnerable is hard work.

When I leave: I miss my mom and dad. I miss watching my nieces and nephews grow up. I miss hanging with my brothers and sister in laws! I’m sad that the next time my mom sees Jovi she’ll be walking It weighs so heavy on my heart. I think some day we’ll move back here, but I don’t know when. God is in control. That I know.

I’m learning to be content.

More from scrapbook.com

Last year’s Easter finery. I love Doodlebug. Their products are always so fun and colorful. The bitty daisy corners just make me want to scream like a little girl a little. *mew*. This is all doodlebug except for the Thickers and the Dotted Swiss Bazzill.

I love filling holes in paper and embellishments with stuff. I like to use stickers and brads and buttons. Love this photo of Journey being all girly in her “praise Him” gloves!

Apparently I was all about the Easter photos this month These are our friends from church in their fancy Easter hats! LOVE IT! I’m all about the chipboard Cosmo flowers…the colors are teh cuteness.

Oh MAI!!! Jaylie has NEVER been very concerned about her appearance. She’s getting more and more into it as she progresses towards the teen years, but still, most of the time her hair is a HOT MESS I picked the messy paper and cut a messy background and embellishments to enhance the messiness of the whole thing.

I’m trying to cram all the “meeting folks” I can into the next week. I have lunch or dinner or coffee or play dates every day this week. Tonight I went back to my hometown, Bowie, MD, for dinner with some girls from Cornerstone A/G (the church my dad planted in Bowie in 1976.) Facebook has totally changed the landscape of my friendships. I have re-connected with a lot of peeps that I haven’t seen in years and years. It was fun to just chill and reconnect and pass Jovi around.

Here is a few more layouts from the last year at Scrapbook.com/Scrapbooks.com

There is something about this layout that just speaks to my simple roots. I love the photos…pool photos are always so bright and yummy. I love the “sun” theme, and the quote….perfection! YUM! (Am I allowed to jock my own layouts?)

I have saved so many different pieces of memorabilia over the years. I especially loved this card from my parents to Jaden. The card was TOTALLY HIM! He was obsessed with dogs at the time, and I love the bright color. This layout is exactly my style; simple, colorful, with fun accents!

I love these photos, and I have a thing for Damask. Oh, and I love that I used a bunch of those Heidi Swapp quote stickers! Teh Cute!!!!

My kids have two sets of friends who are brothers and sisters, and pretty much the exact same age. They are all good friends. I love seeing their personalities come out through these photos…especially the boys.

More layouts tomorrow!

This weekend was teh awesome. My baby brother got married I can’t really even describe how much fun it is to get together with my brothers and sister in laws and aunties and uncles. I really have no words. It was just great. Thank you to my wonderful husband for taking care of the kids at night so I could go hang with the fam, and for taking awesome photos of the wedding! I’ll post some more photos as we get them processed, but here’s a few to wet your fancy

I have a LOT of people that I wanted to see while I was out here. I’ve seen a couple, but I have a bunch more. We’ll see how much I can stuff into the next 10 days!

I miss my paper. So here’s a few older layouts I want to share. I haven’t added any layouts from Scrapbook.com in a LOOOOOONG time! I’m going to add a few a day for the next few days.

#1 took her camera into a dressing room with her friend and took these photos! I knew when I saw them that I HAD to use them for a layout! She has really become a fashionista in the last year, so I LOVE these photos of her first “try things on for fun” jaunt

#2 is SERIOUSLY hilarious! He seriously has the best one liners. “I love everyone in the world even bad guys” “Dear God, please let Satan back into Heaven if he asks for forgiveness” “I need to go on a diet, my lungs need exercise.” and on and on and on.

I love this older Fancy Pants line. They have great quotes and GORGE colors! This photo of my youngest brothers with the kids is so fun, that I’ve used it several times!

Preciously Precious….just one of the many names I call my kiddos

Today I turned 35.

I’m officially old.

my first birthday:

me at 35:

I keep saying this, but I really want to keep up with my blog a little bit better. I’m going to be doing some blog projects in the coming weeks/months, but I’d like to begin with a list:D I always love a good list. My loverly friend Andrea is doing 52 lists in 52 weeks. I love that idea, but I’m not sure I have that many lists in me, but I would like to start with a list about me.

35 things you might not know about me:

1) I’ve always liked my name (I’ve wondered why I can’t be MORE joyful, but I’ve liked that it was “different”)

2) I watch most of my TV online (hulu.com is my friend!)

3) I love station wagons. (I had one in college, and want another one!)

4) I have a ridiculous fear of the dentist.

5) A hot or cold 1% chai latte is my Starbucks drink

6) I’ve had a love affair with stationary shops my whole life. (my daughter now collects notebooks, the apple doesn’t fall far, eh?)

7) I live MUCH too far from my family.

8 ) I’ve been 35 since I was 18 mos old. I think my body’s age has finally caught up with my attitudes’ age

9) A had my first panic attack a few weeks ago, when I got pulled over with a car full of kids after a horrible horrible day. (authority issues)

10) I LOVE a good road trip.

11) I’m a terrible house keeper.

12) I love red nail polish, but I never take time to get mani/pedi’s

13) I’m a good cook, but not an enthusiastic one.

14) I have super powers.

15) My superpowers are TV related

16) I can “name that movie/show, etc” in like 2 seconds…I know what show actors have been in before. I also can follow TV shows with VERY little actual paying of attention.

17) I have a love/hate relationship with how much like my mama that I have become!

18) I’d pick dessert over chips any day.

19) I’m a complete and total night owl.

20) I prefer driving over being a passenger. (control issues)

21) I like birthday parties, but I get embarrassed by all the attention.

22) I only drink girly drinks (no beer. no wine.)

23) My brothers can still press my buttons.

24) I have issues. (see 20 and 9)

25) I don’t mind folding laundry, but I HATE putting it away.

26) I love how Facebook has changed the landscape of my friendships.

27) I love big jewelry, but I’m cheap, so I don’t buy much.

28) I’m an obsessive recycler. (I even bring home cardboard containers from McD’s)

29) I think I could be a vegetarian, if I knew how to cook Indian food well.

30) I love sleeping. (especially in my own bed with my fancy marshmellow pillow top, and luscious sheets.)

31) I thought I was an animal lover until I got a dog from my brother and a feral cat at the same time! (eep!)

32) I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE bright colors. (not neon)

33) I don’t dress the way I think I should in my mind. Not sure why.

34) I’m obsessed with oatmeal with cream.

35) I have very good intentions.

Don’t miss Summer Camp at Studio Calico

*********************

The winner for my Sketchbook 2 is:

Min: 1 Max: 93 Result: 6

sylv on Jul 23rd, 2010 said:

can’t wait to see the full layouts…thanx for the chance to win!

Sylv, email me at joy(at)madisons(dot)com for info about the class giveaway!

*********************

Here is my layout for this weeks How Much is TOO Much challenge I’m trying to start playing there, but I’m off to a slow start! This weeks challenge is “a few of my favorite things”

This kit was a little bit of a stretch for me, but I love the layouts I made Enjoy!!

*********************************************
Some exciting news!! Studio Calico is hooking up with Kelly Purkey again for her Sketchbook 2 Class.

If you’d like to win a seat in the class, Comment below! Cut off time Tuesday, July 27th at 11:59 PST. I’ll announce a winner July 28th!

Sketchbook 2 is a four week class filled with fresh sketches, easy instructions, beautiful examples, and lots of fun. From August 2nd to August 27th a PDF will be delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so you can work at your own pace. By the end of the class, you’ll have a complete sketchbook of 12 original sketches, 36 layouts, and an additional 36 sketches based on those creative pages. All the examples are brand new layouts, exclusive to this class… you won’t see them anywhere else! The best part is that you will be receiving an example layout from me for each of the sketches, along with two example layouts from a member of the incredible Studio Calico design team. The class will also include a private message board for questions and sharing ideas, as well as two scheduled chats – all on the awesome Studio Calico website.

Here’s a Sample Page from the class:

(my layout from last time is on the sample page, can you see it?)

Here is a little sneak of the layout I did for the class this time:

*****************************************

Last but not least:

Here is a couple of things I did wit the Documentary line from Studio Calico this month!! GOTTA LOVE those cameras!

I made this for Jon for Father’s Day! He loved it.

a card for Jaylie’s photography teacher.

*********************************************

Don’t forget to comment below for a seat in the Sketchbook 2 class. Cut off time Tuesday, July 27th at 11:59 PST. I’ll announce a winner July 28th!