Josiah's First {Shutterfly} Photo Book :)

This finally arrived on my doorstep... :) And once I opened it, I could not help but get all teary eyed. Something about seeing your work and designs printed and reading the heartfelt words that I poured out on these pages, really resonates this sweet, fulfilling joy deep within... Especially when you see your son reading them with such enthusiasm and happiness that I created them about him and for him... Shutterfly does such a great job with these and I loved the look and feel of the photo pages overall. I also plan to make one for my youngest soon because I know he is anxious to have one of his own. Anyways, here's a few photos to share....

Front Cover

Some of my very first layouts dating back in 2007

Some of my recent layouts using my own ORIGINAL designs...

Josiah so happy with his first photo book

His eyes just melts my heart... I know he is thankful for it...

Josiah pointing at his favorite photo of him and one of his buddies at school....

*Sigh*.... I can't even express how much I love my boys and how much I cherish every single day with them. In just a few weeks, Josiah will be graduating from Kindergarten and going into the 1st grade while Lucas will be starting Kindergarten as well. Such an exciting and fun age they are in and I love, love, love being a part of their lives. So many memories and stories to share with them when their older, but photo books are so wonderful to have because I never know whether or not I'll be able to, just keeping it real... 

xoxo.

First 5 Years....

Hey y'all! Happy Wednesday!!!

Several months ago, I took advantage of a Groupon deal for Shutterfly--8x8 Photo Book for only $10-- and created my very first photo book of our first trip to Seattle as a family. The results were wonderful and my family enjoyed remembering our trip as we cherished these memories. So the next time Groupon posted this deal, I jumped on it immediately! Then just the other day I was going through my Groupons that I purchased, to make sure that I didn't forget to use them before they expired. So glad I did because I totally forgot about the Shutterfly deal which was going to expire in a week! I had not worked on it at all and felt really pressured to hurry and take advantage of it. 

Although, I wanted to make a cohesive album with a theme and color palette that coordinated together, I knew that time would not be on my side to create one. So, I realized that I still had all these digital scrapbook layouts that have not been printed (gasp!) and put in albums. Yes, I know... I am one of those! LOL! But, I finally did it today, by putting together all of my eldest son's scrapbook layouts that I've created over the years. It's definitely been a journey and I'm so glad I was able to document some of his special moments :) 

It's called---Josiah Robert Co | FIRST FIVE YEARS.....

Thanks for looking!!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Connecting to ME :)

Back in April, I wrote a post [Who Am I? | Inspired by CZ] about one of my favorite, most influential authors of all things scrapbook related, who has inspired me to become the storyteller and memory preserver that I am today, Cathy Zielske. I also wrote in that post, how I wanted share more about ME and who I AM in my pages. Um... 3 months later, I find that she is teaching a workshop called -- Me: The Abridged Version -- over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. AWESOME opportunity!

So what did I do?? Jumped really high with my hands up in the air and did a high kick, cheerleader style! Hahaha, only kidding! I would seriously hurt myself if I did. No really, that is how excited I am to take this class. It begins in September for four weeks and I am loving the fact that it also includes digital templates for someone like me who loves scrapping the digital way. So, this is going to give me the kick in the you-know-what to make more pages about ME and to learn more on how to journal about the every day details of my life. It's going to move me out of my comfort zone and maybe help me grow more confidence in journaling the stories that I want to share about me personally. What's also really cool is that I will end up with a 28 page photo book in the end. :)

So, anyone else joining? I'd love to know if you are so we can motivate and inspire one another as we learn together. If you are, join me on Twitter or Facebook  so we can easily stay connected. :)

Countdown begins now!

xoxo,
Dahlia

DIY Wish Lists | Photos

 

Yes, I'm done! I didn't realize that it would take me a whole day to work on this, but I had the absolute best time just decorating the finished WISH LISTS. After printing them out, I thought it needed something extra and it led me to dig through my huge stash of supplies that I've collected over the years. I couldn't believe how much supplies I had at my disposal to work with and create so many things. I guess you can say, I've been the addictive type when it comes to scrapbook stuff, buying every cute and adorable thing there is at a craft store, but never wanting to use it for anything for the fact that I can't let go of such cool paper, stickers, punches, stamps, etc.... Well, I'm finally seeing that I can no longer live this way and my creativity is limited when I choose not to create and play and make beautiful things that I and/or others can enjoy... We only live once, right?

So, what I ended up doing was pasting my wish list onto colored cardstock, giving it that matted border around the edges, as well as giving the paper more support. Then I punched small holes at the top and added ribbon which can be used for hanging or pinning up on the wall. After that, I found some buttons, glittered felt, and beads to add a little dimension to it. Voila!  I especially loved the cute snowman. :)

The great thing about hybrid is that I can reuse the digital kit over and over again and print out different things to make with it, without having to repurchase everything all over again, like I would have to if this were all completely made with supplies bought at a craft store. See why I love this? :)

Next, I'm going to try making an advent/countdown calendar using Michelle Filo's ::Hybrid Magic No.15 Advent Christmas Calendar Template:: . Hope it turns out as good as this last project!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Tomorrow is Creative Connection Wednesday, so be sure to come back for more inspiration....

Cheers!

Fun DIY Holiday Projects

Hi there!

I want to apologize to those of you who came to check my blog last Friday to discover that there wasn't a freebie from me. :(  There's no other excuse except that I wasn't feeling my best. I think maybe my body was fighting against the flu and it's been quite a battle. A virus has been invading my household, off and on, for the past couple of months. So, I just couldn't get around to finishing up my free download which wasn't quite finished as I had expected it to be. Then, the weekend came around and I had to baby sit three nieces of mine for a night. Talk about pure exhaustion!

Anyways, I thought I'd share some creative inspiration that will hopefully get you inspired to create some fun, do-it-yourself, projects of your own this holiday season. I just love it when I see what our Creative Team (@ Little Dreamer Designs) manages to get done with products from the shoppe. Hybrid scrapbooking and crafting is something I have been wanting to do more of, especially now that I have a professional inkjet  printer (Canon Pixma Pro 9000) which has been calling my name to put it to good use, which I have, but only a few times for small projects here and there. Let me just say, you'll be seeing more of that coming from me in the near future.:)

So, here are some tidbits of Hybrid (DIY Crafts) from the Inspiration Gallery @ LDD. And if you go through this post, all the way to the end, you'll f ind a recent project that I've just finished and will be printing out. :)

Holiday Gift Card Wallet

by gingersnaps

+ click here for credits +

2010 Hybrid Calendar

by soaring2him

+ Click here for credits +

Winter Wishes Hybrid Card

 

by supertwinkle

+ Click here for credits +

Christmas Tags

 

by PatriciaSartini

+ Click here for credits +

Muffin Treats

 

by lteather

+ Click here for credits +

Hybrid Gift Jar

 

by soaring2him

+ Click here for credits +

Christmas Countdown

 

by RuthsKris

+ Click here for credits +

And now for a peek at one of my first hybrid projects that has not yet been printed, but will be sometime tomorrow (photos coming soon). It's really nothing more than a typical layout, but because I need to print it and have it hung on my wall or fridge, then it becomes a hybrid project! :) Also, I need to give some copies of them to my sister who I hope will love them as much as I do...

 

 

 

 + Click here to go to my gallery  +

These cuties are custom WISH LISTS for each of my boys and three of my adorable nieces, personalized with their individual head shots! HAHA! Aren't they super cute? :) I used Michelle Coleman's yummy HOLIDAY JINGLE MEGA KIT and CD Muckosky's  JELLYBEAN TOES ALPHABET STAMPS, all available @ Little Dreamer Designs.

Thanks for letting me share and hope you enjoyed some of these fabulous projects that will maybe get you thinking about making them for yourself or for someone special.

Stay tuned for actual photos of my printed WISH LISTS. :)

C2 UPDATE

Oh my... did I forget to post yesterday's CREATIVE CONNECTION? By the way, I decided to abbreviate Creative Connection to C2, just because it's short and easy to remember.:)

Yesterday was definitely one of those days where time slipped right by me and realized later that I forgot to post it the moment I laid my head down on my pillow. Happens to us sometimes, right?

Well, I do know that I need to make up for it and I will definitely get to work on it today, but I also want to remind you that tomorrow is FREEBIE FRIDAY and I will need to expire my previous freebie today, so grab that while you can. :) I'm currently working on some holiday products for the store, hopefully to get it done by this weekend!

By the way, did you check out today's Holiday Preview post on the LDD blog featuring some of the new holiday kits that are in the shop and some holiday layouts created by our CT? It's never too late! Also, if you read on, you'll find that their giving away $10 Gift Card to the shop and all you have to do is post a comment with your favorite holiday recipe! Can't wait to check those recipes out!

Okay, see ya back here soon!



~DAHLIA