recap of 2011

another year come and gone in a flash! it has been a wonderful year, but i can't wait for the fresh start of the new year!

2011 highlights...
january:
-went on my first vacation with david's family to disneyland. it was a great trip!

march:
-went to new york for a surprise visit for my best friends 21st birthday. she had no idea I was coming!!

may:
-celebrated david's 21st birthday-how that boy survived all those birthday shots is beyond me :)
-finished another semester of college, and finally decided on a major. finally.
-took our first trip to ohio to visit my parents. it was a wonderful time!

july:
-celebrated four magical years with my hunny.
-witnessed our friends getting married, so sweet :)
-moved out of our first apartment we had together...very interesting day (not the best moving experience for sure). but moved into a place that we love!
-turned 21!!
-went to visit my parents again in ohio, and little kole tagged along :)

august:
-added a new baby to the family, little miss sammie. we love her so much and couldn't be happier!
-went to las vegas with our newly wed friends to celebrate her 21st birthday!
-started my last year of community college (on track to graduate this spring-insert a jump for joy here).

december:
-bought our first christmas tree, its not huge and it looks a bit sad, but its ours and we loved it.
-had a very busy, but wonderful christmas with all of our family.

needless to say, i did not do so well on my goals i set for 2011, although i don't think of the year as a failure. we had a great year, and it only gives me more motivation to accomplish my goals this year! i'll have a post with my 2012 goals coming up soon. i can't wait!
xoxo,
megan

christmas is my favorite

we had a very busy christmas holiday, but it was full of love, family, friends, and magic :) we couldn't have asked for a better holiday! david and i decided that this was one of the best christmas's we have had as a couple, for many reasons...

oh christmas is my favorite. i'm always sad to see it go.
we are truly blessed and received many wonderful gifts, but we each got something that we were extra excited about...

i got gifts cards to michaels, joanns, and scrapbooks etc! i'm dying to go spend them all :)

and david finally got his official cheesehead. yes, i am in love with a cheesehead.

needless to say, we had a very merry christmas. i can only hope that yours was just as full of joy as ours.
xoxo,
megan

merry Christmas!!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas!

xoxo,

megan

thursday currents

listening: to my new she & him christmas record.

eating: nothing right now, but craving pasta salad.
drinking: diet coke (what else?!).
wearing: jeans, t-shirt, and my comfy toms.
feeling: excitment for Christmas!

weather: kind of warm for decemeber, but still chilly enough for a jacket (my favorite).
wanting: a upgraded laptop (it amazing how outdated my laptop is after 4 years).
needing: exercise. seriously.
thinking: that i hope i didn't miss any gifts.
enjoying: my time off school to spend with my family and hunny.
wondering: about the future...
thankful for: my wonderful, amazing, thoughtful boy. i love him so.
xoxo,
megan

scraplifted project

when elsie's recipe book first came out, it was impossible to find. when i finally got my hands on a copy, i was so happy and inspired! her book is full of beautiful pages and mini projects by her and various artists. i love it and constantly go back to look when i need that little spark.
today i created a page directly scraplifted from one of her pages from the fashion section. here is the original page/recipe card...

and here is my scraplifted project...

xoxo,
megan

sketch to scrapbook page from shimelle

here is another sketch to scrapbook page from shimelle, its a few weeks old (i'm kinda behind on her sketches :) ). i love how this sketch used up some of my brad stash. who else has a massive stash of brads from years before when they first came out?! anyhow, here is the sketch and my layout...

 

xoxo,
megan

holiday baking

Baking is one of my favorite traditions during the holidays! my mom, sister, and i usually spend a whole day baking up a storm and making all our favorites sweets. we always make chocolate covered pretzels, peanut butter kiss cookies, raspberry thumbprint cookies, and usually peppermint bark. oh yummy :) i've gathered all the recipes for you...enjoy!

chocolate covered pretzels

raspberry thumbprint cookie recipe

peanut butter kiss cookies

peppermint bark

xoxo,
megan

inspiring artists: heidi swapp

like most bloggers, i have my daily reads, and heidi swapp is definitely on that list. i find her work so inspiring! she never fails to continue creating pretty things! i look forward to watching her craft tv shows and learning something new. here is a screenshot of her latest video; the project uses those simple clear acrylic page stands to make a beautiful book display-brilliant!

heidi was actually the person who inspired me to start using my handwriting on my layouts and projects :) her love your handwriting book was very inspirational! i highly recommend picking up this book (you can find it on amazon, just follow the link).

 before i was always afraid i would ruin the prettiness by putting my scrawl all over, but now i see that it only adds to the personality of the page and the beautiful memories it holds. now some of my favorite pages have my handwriting on it :)

heidi is definitely one of my favorite crafters and a hugh inspiration to me. does anyone else agree with me?! how could you not really.
xoxo,
megan

color scheme inspiration

i always find inspiration in color, so i put together a color palette to use on a pretty layout :)

i love the pink and green combination!! here is how i used the color scheme in my layout...

its holiday without being straight green and red. who else is super excited about the holidays?! my favorite time of the year :)

if you use this color scheme in your crafting projects, leave me a link, i would love to see!!

xoxo,

megan

christmas card peek

i've started designing my christmas cards this year and boy am i having so much fun!! i decided to purchase heidi swapp and jessica sprague's digital winter wonderland kit to help with the design and i love how they are turning out! i decided to do the classic photo card instead of a traditional folding card. i think my size is 4"x8", both hortizontal and vertical verisons. here is a little peek at one design...

pretty cute, huh?! i went ahead and just purchased one kit, the winter wonderland full kit, because i loved the teal, red, and grey color combinations. but i noticed the super cute words and banners in the other kit and added those too (it is the peace, cheer, and jolly in my card design). i'm so excited to get these printed and sent out to family and friends :)
how are you coming on your christmas cards this year?
xoxo,
megan

exciting news!!

i am the new owner of my own domain name!! i feel like a nerd being this excited about it, but hey, it is pretty awesome! i even designed the whole site myself :) it was my final project for one of my web design classes, and it turned out so great i decided to keep it and make it live! so head on over to http://www.loveandlacedesigns.com/ and enjoy exploring! i'll be making changes here and there, so make sure to visit often!
xoxo,
megan

christmas card ideas

it's that time of year when i just start thinking about getting started on my Christmas cards. i applaud those of you who are pre-planners and have already gotten your cards ready to go. for the rest of us, i have gather a couple ideas to jump start our creative process.

heidi swapp and jessica sprague just introduced their digital winter wonderland kits today and they are delightful :) i absolutely love the teal and red. i think i will end up making a card from the kit and having them printed professionally.

martha stewart has a whole list of gorgeous card tutorials, from simple to complex, they are all pretty.

of course, if you aren't able to make your cards yourself or you are crafty challenged, etsy is the perfect place for you :) handmade is the best way to go. it makes receiving your card extra special!
(first card source, second card source)


i hope these help you out this holiday season!
xoxo,
megan

a crafty break

one of my favorite ways to take a break from other crafty things is a simple kids paint by numbers :) it really lets you take a break from coming up with new ideas, layouts, and such and let you breathe; to clear your head. i love it. you should try it sometime.
xoxo,
megan

turkey day!!

happy thanksgiving everyone!! i hope you enjoy your time with family and friends and some really good food :)

xoxo,
megan

turkey pops tutorial

turkey day is just around the corner and i'm here to show you one super cute turkey day tutorial! these little turkey pops are so much fun and the kids will love them. they are fairly easy to make, so if your little helpers are old enough, they would have a blast making them!


supplies...
golden oreos
mini nutter butters
candy corn
vanilla frosting
black frosting gel
lolly pop sticks
ribbon (if desired)



if making the bouquet of turkey pops, you also need...
mini basket or a flower pot
foam core
moss or covering for the foam core
pretty accents


1. stick the lolly pop stick inside of the oreo. it helps to add a bit of frosting to make it more secure.

2. stick the candy corns in the frosting and add frosting to the other side of the cookie.

3. stick closed :)

4. with the mini nutter butter, dab on two circles of frosting for the eyes (i like to use a piping bag or plastic bag with a corner clipped to add the eyes). 5. use the black gel to add the blacks of the eyes. 6. cut the white tip off of the candy corn and stick this on with a bit of frosting for the beck.

7. with frosting stick the whole face onto the cookie.

8. decorate with ribbon, twine, or make a bouquet :)

these are perfect for kids and also makes a cute gift for the host!
happy turkey day!!
xoxo,
megan