starfiin

digi can be dope.

so this isn't the "catch-up" post I've been planning...

but the dare this week was pretty rad- and has spurred me to posting.

this week we were sponsored by JessicaSprague.com...each of us took one of the digital scrapbooking classes, and rocked one of the lesson layouts with our own style.

Four of the dare girls immdiately stepped up and said they would cover the advanced classes ("Digi in Deep" and "Digi in Deeper") - Jen said she'd do "Now We're Rockin" to get the intermediate level represented-  and I figured I'd do the same.

Being that I design product for my Splendid Fiins shop at JS.com- I planned on just breezing through the lessons... I felt very "in the know" about Photoshop at that level... HA! Jess's classes never cease to amaze. Really. Yes- there were things I already knew in the lessons... but I also learned a lot. Shortcuts I had no idea existed. Easier ways of doing things. Completely brand new to me things. LOVE those classes... 

So seriously- if you've ever wanted to know more about digi scrapping- check out a beginner class. Even if you've got this photoshop thing down- take a class. You will learn amazing things. LOVE. (it bears repeating) PLUS- all the classes are loaded with goodies and freebies and general awesome-ness... gotta love that!

ok-on to the dare...

so- originally, I just went to "my classes" page on JS.com and found "Now We're Rockin" and went to town.

I picked lesson three - which was this layout-

so- I went through the lesson...all the tasks...totally learned things, then set about to making it my own.

I made a custom brush, used some of my hand drawn frames and messy stitches...and came away with a layout I really loved...

 

so, I was stoked... all set to post my layout on the dare blog...

and then I realized- I had done a lesson from the old version of the class. The one that's been retired, but still sat in my que of classes (cuz you keep your classes FOREVER!)...but wasn't available for purchase anymore, as it had been replaced with the new updated version. Good times...

so, take two.

I opened up Now We're Rockin' v2. and went to work on a NEW layout...

again- lesson three- this time it looked like this-

and I watched and learned and tweaked and made my own and came up with-

which I also love.

so, double win I guess.

Now- head on over to the dare blog- post your own digi masterpiece- and you will be entered to win the JS.com Digital Scrapbooking class of your choice (more details on the dare blog)

wooo!

 

 

 

 

Blog Hop YO!

ETA: blog hop is over. THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by, downloaded, said "hi"  

(if you missed out- watch the store at JessicaSprague.com in the coming weeks- and you can still collect them all!)

 

 

 

 

 

ok- first- where the heck have I been? no posts since December of last year? That is a sad sad showing. Boo to my blogging efforts. I feel like I should do a catch up post- but let's be honest, you are not here for my last six months in review... you want the goodies. (Though do stop back if you are interested in the catch-up...I will attempt it at a later date...)

ok- FREE STUFF!!

WELCOME to my stop on the blog hop!! wooooo! So glad you are here to join in on all the fun + festivities!

Happy Birthday to JessicaSprague.com! Four years old- can you even stand it?! So fabulous.

In celebration- Jess, the designers and creative team have been hard at work making a whole stash of awesomeness for you. Because you are awesome. There, I said it. 

Yes we have created a wild ride for you, through 47 blogs to collect 47 digital freebies. Check out the rules below...

 

now- if you stumbled upon my blog out of order- or you came here looking for photos of Keaton digging in the dirt or my belly at 21 weeks, but are suddenly intrigued by the promise of free digital scrapping goodies- you should head to the beginning- Jessica's Blog

(I know, I know...it says click the image- but I am apparently not computer savvy enough... so just click the link above)

 

if you have come here in pursuit of the next bit of goodies and a chance to win an awesome prize...

here is my bit of the giant collaborative kit:

 

And let me just say a quick THANK YOU. To you for playing and downloading and making awesome things. For everyone at JessicaSprague.com and all the awesomeness that abounds over there- from the people who post their creations, the amazing admin, the increadible designers, the always on top of it creative team, everyone who likes and buys Splendid Fiins... It's so amazing being able to make stuff for a living- and I couldn't do it without all of you. THANK YOU!!!!

The bloghop ends promptly at 10 pm EST on Sunday, June 26- so be sure you visit all the stops before then! And as long as you are hopping all over the interwebs- head over to the store- as all products are 35% off (OMG!) and classes are 20% off through the weekend. GAH! amazing. Go load up your cart supermarket sweep styles! That's a steal of a deal my friends...

Next up on your bloghop is Echo Park

Head over to their blog for the next awesome gift...

(but wait!!! before you go- I would love if you would just leave a little comment- even just a "_____ was here"  - I'm excited to see who all is hopping along!!)

so we got some snow...

like- a lot.

it started in the wee hours of Saturday morning...and we woke up to white.

this was the hall window...completely, awesomely iced over.

on Saturday- day one of being snowed in- it was WAY too snowy and blowy for the boy to play outside... so we stuffed him in his snow suit and sent him to play on the back porch...in the snow drifts.

 

when he'd had his fill he came inside, but refused to take off his snowsuit...

(that's Ben outside sweeping off my mom's car...this is before they spent about an hour and a half trying to get her car from the street in front of our house, to the driveway behind our house. HOLY CRAP.)

first snowed in day? kind of nice. we all rocked comfy clothes. watched WAY more TV than we normally do. played cars and trains with the boy. relaxed.

second snowed in day? cabin fever setting in. Keaton was either giddy or coming apart at the seams. We were all getting antsy. Feeling cooped up. We discussed what it must have been like for pioneers who lived here. Who didn't have snow plows to come along and clear a path. Who didn't have phones and internet to remind them the world continues out there. Who could be snowed in for days, weeks, more...  We speculated as to where each of us would be if our "snowed in" continued for that long...

Keaton: clinging to the ceiling alternately laughing maniacally and sobbing uncontrollably.

Ben: out in the garage- sitting on the floor in a frozen oil slick, rocking back and forth in front of a space heater.

Me: curled up fetal in the basement hot tub weeping in the dark.

my mom: face down in the snow a block and a half away.

good times!

when the cooped up feeling got to be too much- we bundled up the boy and headed outside. just to breathe new air. stretch our legs a bit.

He was delighted.

then the drool on his chin started to freeze (it was wind chill of about -15 afterall) and we told him it was time to go in...

SO wanted to stay out and play...but was also quickly turning into a popcicle baby...

that's my boy.

tomorrow? Ben attempts to venture to work and I have lunch out with a friend and delight in seeing a fresh face I'm not related to!

for uncle Klav

at some point I promise I will do some sort of post that has more mass appeal and isn't aimed specifically at one person...

but seeing as I am running on two hours of sleep and that's only the beginning of today's crazy- I am simply posting this:

 

a small preview of a small squirrel for uncle Kavan who will be here in just a couple weeks... enjoy!

for jed.

so I know I've been away for a while. bad blogger. (I seem to be averaging one a month lately...boo)

and this isn't the come back post I was intending on...

but I've recently done an overhaul on Keaton's diaper situation (weeded out what we don't love, loaded up on what we do) and I went to take a picture of the second drawer to post it on the message board for the other nerds who get all giddy about diapers (there are a lot of us, don't be so shocked) and later I realized- I know someone else who would love this pic... so this is for you Jamaica:

 

bad photo...

sometimes the bad photos are my favorite.

here is my new best bad photo- from tonight on our walk...

 

it's some serious show of restraint that I don't gobble up his whole adorable face...

time traveling Buster

I've been MIA lately. a little swamped with real life. swim lessons for K, lots of designing, some photographing, an amazing workshop w Barb"Jinky" in PA (where I roomed with this flippin' rad lady, who really deserves more than a quick drive by shout out), a visit from Kavan, and on and on...

so, just for kicks this evening... we did something a little wacky and a lot awesome. Armed with an amazing little vintage sailor suit from one of my favorite people on the planet (Miss Hannah) we headed over to our old 'hood with camera in tow.

Keaton had been pretty feisty all day (sometimes good + funny feisty, sometimes throwing everything in sight and then collapsing on the floor in tears feisty...) - so the photo shoot could have been a nightmare. But he was a dream. And I am so stoked about the results. Cuz I'm a nerd.

(this is the house across the street from where Ben and I lived)

 

 

(this one looks a little less authentic - with the shallow depth of field- but I still love it...)

 

(these are our old front doors. I REALLY wanted to get a picture of him in front of our old house- like all zoomed back with the whole house in view, but the sun was blazing and it just wasn't happening... I might bump up my nerd status to "super" and take him back on a cloudy day, or some evening closer to sunset if he's feeling up for it... or crazy early for that matter...if I'm up for it- cuz lord knows my morning lark boy would be!)

winners!

here are the birthday winners:

@ the office 1: Pam Meeks

@ the office 2: Sarah

@ the office 3: Kristina

all three!: Amelia

I will email you ladies with the scoop.

thanks everybody!!

the big birthday blog of awesome post. (Tuesday update!)

ETA: ok- Tuesday got away from me. I will post with winners tonight when the babe is in bed...

wooo! happy birthday to me!

and guess what? I have presents for you!! are you so stoked?

I have a sale and freebies and giveaways and high fives. 

the sale- everything in my store at JessicaSprague.com is 31% off today. So go on over there and fill your virtual cart with goodies on the cheap. wooooo!

what a way to get the party started.

next is the freebies. wooo.

to coordinate with today's release of the paper packs  @ the office one, two and three - I have for you this free mini kit...just a little taste... ;)

(download unavailable at this time)

this will only be available to download today! ..so tell your friends so they don't miss out!!

next- the giveaway...wooooo! again.

three people will win one of the three new paper packs I'm releasing on Monday

and

one super prize winner will win all three.

that's four winners! (yeah math)

here's how you enter:

1. post a link on your blog, twitter, facebook telling people to come check out this post, grab their own freebies, hit up the sale, etc.  Leave a comment on this post with a link to where you posted.

2. feature the mini kit in a layout and post in an online scrap gallery with credit given to "Splendid Fiins blog freebie". Leave a comment on this post with a link to where you posted.

each of the above can count as a separate entry- so basically you can double your chance to win! 

Winners will be chosen at random bright and early Tuesday morning. So check back to see if you scored!

(also- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE- be sure to use your email address when you post your comment. that way I can email you your winnings!)

the high fives- I will be giving these out all day by request...the only catch is you have to come by my place to get them. so there's that.

PARTY!

vroom vroom

I had long been scouring craigslist and every stinkin' garage sale this side of the river for a cozy coupe for Keaton. Everything was either no longer available (please take down your post when the item is gone. serious people.) crazy expensive (meaning like $40. sorry, but I'm not shelling out $40 for a used kids car. I didn't spend that much on my last pair of shoes. ...haha, I'm old and cheap.) or crazy sad (like it had lived outside for five years under a pile of lumber or something)  or it had a face. That last one being the reason I wasn't going to buy a new cozy coupe for him. Yes, the new ones have faces. NO THANKS.

so, the other day, in my ritual checking of craigslist I came across a gem. Not an actual cozy coupe, like not the red and yellow... but once I got past the vision in my brain of Keaton in cozy coupe- I realized I like this one better. It's colors are not so LOUD. It has cargo space in the back- and you can flip down the tailgate to give a ride to a friend. And the horn is wicked adorable.

I pounced on it. Drove a little too far. But it is now his. And he loves it.

 

this was the first time he sat in it...you can almost see the "this is for me...?" sinking in...

   

realizing the awesome and waving bye bye...

 

this is right after Hooper jumped out of the back seat...hi-larious.

stay tuned for birthday blog awesomeness news...

oooooooh!