Month: July 2013

Hey all my scrapbook lovers. Did you know CHA is going on just 20 minutes from my house. Isn’t it just cruel to know that all the new paper lines are just down the road, {highway.} If you haven’t checked them out already, Teresa Collins is launching 4 new paper lines for Summer 2013. I AM IN LOVE. I’m going to give you a run down on all 4, and then I have a project to share with you! Yes it’s true, I have actually been scrapbooking instead of just hoarding beautiful scrapbook supplies. {I have some serious piles going on in here.} But first, did you know it also happen’s to be Teresa’s Birthday today? And to celebrate she is giving away ALL FOUR PAPER LINES to one lucky girl…or guy I guess? EXCITING! All you have to do is pop over to her blog and enter. But check out these amazing lines first.

This is Family Stories

Woodgrain, teal&pink, anchors, little people, arrows. I’m pretty sure she just took these images out of my head. This is absolutely perfect. I cannot wait to get my hands on it. It is just screaming mini album to me.

This is Santa’s List.

Its a Christmas Line….EEEEEEeeeeeee This might actually inspire me to make a December Daily this year. So far 3 years in a row I have just “said” I was going to make one, but the vintage feel to this line is so inspiring. Did I mention she has treat bags in this line! WHAT, perfect easy peasy beautiful christmas gifts. Throw some cookies in there and no one will know how last minute that was. They are so beautiful that when I saw them on her page my mouth dropped and I had a sad moment where I thought she made them herself. Then I read they were products from the line and got all excited again.

This is Memorabilia 

Chalkboard. That’s all I have to say about this gorgeous line. And then teal again! WITH YELLOW. Seriously, get out of my head. I really can’t decide which one I love more between this and Family Stories. But all the vintage looking frames, bicycle and hot air balloon’s are making me swoon. Good thing it is also my birthday this week and I have some extra cash that will be stashed away until these release!

This is Masquerade Party

First, could there be a cuter name for a Halloween line. Second, Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. I have no reason why really, it’s just a fun holiday. I have always loved getting dressed up and Las Vegas seems to embrace it like no other time of the year. The pumpkin patch last year was my favorite thing all year. And now there is a beautiful line to capture those memories. It’s hard to do a Halloween line without getting tacky, but Teresa absolutely nails it! O and hey, there is treat bags in this line too! AHHHH

Are you still here? This is a big post today! Ok I now have a beautiful little album to share with you. Its not completely finished because I like to add to it and throw pages in at random. Its a mini album of pictures of just Sawyer and I. Through out the massive 2 years he’s almost been around for. It’s my casual easy album and I love it. The front cover is a layer of cute things from the Spring 2013 line “Memories.” I love this line too. I still have so much to play with from my massive buy this spring. {Is it sweet I save up Christmas money for one big paper line release and then Birthday money for the next? Works out quite nicely indeed!} I like that you can see the Past, Present, and Future tabs. Because this album has all random pictures and random pages. I also bound it with cord and tied int he back. Which means I can add pages whenever I want!

The inside of the cover is a massive pocket. I usually keep photo’s I want to work on next in it. Or special little things He receives. Cards or notes. Its big, it can hold a lot! I also added a popped up frame much like the one on the cover. I cut these out of the 2012 line “Tell Your Story.” I used pop dots to give them a bit more dimension. I swear he was that little just yesterday. Where is the time going!

The next page might be my favorite. Its just photo’s I grabbed on my phone during his first birthday party. They are grainy and not well framed and for me that is heartbreaking…Apparently his Birthday is the other day my big camera was not attached to my hands. It was a little chaotic though. But these two pictures melt my heart every time. I love them on the big yellow polka dot paper. Just love. I also used some stickers from Heidi Swapp’ line from Michaels. I cannot go into that store without buying one of her little embellishments. Get me every time! Also do you like my little photo bomber. He see’s a camera and doesn’t understand why he is not in front and in focus. I had to leave him in because I think it’s adorable!

This next page is my Birthday last year. One full year ago. Its a just a snap shot of Sawyer on my lap, Neither of us is paying attention but I remember every detail from it. Photo’s with real emotion behind them are always my favorite. Whether they are perfect or not. I love the doily added to this page. Its just wrapped around the photo for a different shape. Super simple.

This next and last page to share with you today, is the first photo’s of Sawyer. I love seeing the difference between these two pictures side by side. In the pocket is a little note about all the details from that day. I like having private journalling. It’s there for those who need to read it and prettily tucked away otherwise. {Is prettily a word?} I hope you liked it. It’s different from all my other albums, but its a fun format to work with! I get to leave lots of my pictures pretty big since it is 12×6.

And last but not least to share today. {I know I don’t post for a week and then I just load you up!} Since it was Teresa’s Birthday + I had extra cupcakes left over anyways + I was location scouting, just a couple blocks from her hotel. I ran these over with the help of one of her daughters! I had to dress the box all up. I love this idea. I saw it on pinterest months ago and have been waiting to use it. Perfect way to dress up a cupcake box. Way too cute. I just didnt want those things going to waste and I ate way too many cupcakes and cookies already this week. And don’t you worry I am already planning the birthday cake for Sunday. It will be EPIC, or a complete failure, since thats the way it seem’s to go. If we are following the pattern, its epic this year, as lsat year was the fail. But they always taste good! So stay tuned!

 

 

Today we are featuring a guest post from a reader! This is too exciting to have someone love my blog enough to want to also be a part of it. I have a couple other guest post’s coming in the following months. Still getting the website re-done. {Im only one little girl who doesn’t have a clue what she is doing technically!} So for now enjoy this lovely post from Katie Moore about staying healthy through pregnancy! Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26.

Hi Everyone!  I wanted to thank Alissa for allowing me to guest post on her site!  It’s always an honor to share my stories and tips with others and I love meeting new people.  I found Alissa’s site through what else- cupcakes!  I love making and creating new cupcakes with awesome frosting.  And if you can’t tell- we both make a mean cheeseburger cupcake! While baking is just a side hobby, my true passion is writing about my life as a mom and my pregnancy.  My husband and I live with our daughter Lily and we love watching her grow.  Feel free to reach out to me regarding anything- from babies to sprinkles at moorekm26@gmail.com.

 

Adopting Healthy Habits During Pregnancy

When I had my daughter, I wanted to do everything perfectly so my little one would be provided with the healthiest possible start in life. I spent hours each day reading everything including the value of banking my baby’s cord blood to how to track contractions! I was often overwhelmed by the amount of information available and the idea that everything I do while pregnant could affect my developing baby. Rather than burdening myself with too much information, I decided to stop reading and focus on acting on the things that I knew were good for me and my baby. Besides, sitting in front of the computer all day certainly wasn’t doing me any favors. Here’s a breakdown of my daily healthy habits:

Exercise
Today, the common belief is that a pregnant woman is in delicate condition and should therefore be as inactive as possible. However, exercise is important for everyone, especially pregnant women. I knew that my chances of developing gestational diabetes was much greater if I didn’t stay physically active, so I made it a point to get at least 30 minutes of light exercise every day. I did this mainly by going for walks, but I also enjoyed swimming and yoga.

Hand Washing
There are a lot of pathogens out there, and my doctor had told me that the germs I get could be passed to my baby. Besides that, I was also more susceptible to illness. During pregnancy, a woman’s immune system doesn’t work as well as normal, so she has to be extra careful. I made sure to frequently, especially after running errands.

Eating Right
All throughout my pregnancy, nutrition was perhaps my strongest focus since it was so critical to my baby’s proper development. I avoided processed foods completely as these provide little nutrition and contain many questionable ingredients. Sugar was a no-no particularly because it further suppresses immunity and greatly increases the chances of gestational diabetes and other health problems. Instead, I ate plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, wholesome meats, dairy and eggs along with my prenatal vitamins.

Sleeping
Sleep is extremely important during pregnancy, yet according to some sources, most women experience disturbed sleep when they’re pregnant. I certainly did, especially when my baby decided to practice kickboxing on my bladder. I was up every couple of hours nearly every night, so my body never had a chance to enter deep sleep. It’s during deep sleep that your body carries out many of its growth and repair tasks, so taking frequent naps was important.

When I began managing these aspects of my pregnancy, I began feeling healthier and more confident about bringing my daughter, Lily, into our little world. Give them a try for yourself and perhaps these healthy habits will do the same for you!

 

Thanks so much Katie! We enjoyed your post and look forward to hearing more from you in the future!