sup?

While I haven't made blogging a priority lately, I have made crafting. Lots of cutting on the cameo, glitter, rolls and rolls of  scotch atg tape, a few paper cuts, and so on... CHA projects and holiday gifts are keeping my desk messy and fingers a little dirty. 

With the exception of husband & the kiddos, we have a completely handmade holiday this year. The projects I'm most proud of were the ones which resulted out of challenges. My uncle and cousin are impossible to buy for, nevermind craft for. BUT I DID IT! VICTORY! 

Last weekend was the bake-a-thon. No less than 40 dozen cookies were made using about 15 sticks of butter for family friends and co-workers. Only one minor injury was sustained during this process.

I have been working on a december daily album, but this year i took a short cut in hopes of just finishing it this year. The holiday SMASH book from K&Co is perfect for me this year. AND i've managed to keep it mostly up to date. But, thats another post.

So... how's it goin?
sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

Pikachu Says HELLO!

If your house is anything like our house, you're constantly finding (read: stepping on) small (pointy) toys (with your delicate, bare feet)...  Like many of the things in my house, I have taken to gluing these health hazards to other things.... like canvas... and stuff.....

Have you repurposed anything lately? I always seem to have lofty goals for re-invention, but it ends in infinite piles of projects waiting to be started/finished. Speaking of, this whole craftroom "redo" has lead to a large pile of unfinished projects that i will start posting once the room is finished... which may be never, but its a good idea....

Happy 4th and sunshine&bunnies,
Holly*

short and sweet!

I have a new blog post up over at Hydrangea Hippo featuring a couple very sweet projects made with the fabulous Petals & Pigtails kit that can be found in the Hydrangea Hippo Etsy Shop!

happy friday!
sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

a pinterest worthy event

This past weekend, along with a handful of other families from the boy's school, I helped host a very fun Newlywed Game Party. This party served as a fundraiser for our elementary school as a sign up party at the PTA's annual auction. The home we hosted the party at was beautiful and a great (and EASY) location for the party. Decorations were minimal, but another host brought adorable succulents in painted tin cans (thank you Pintrest!) I gave the party's menu the old college try and ended up with the following:

Mixed Greens Salad
Brie on Pita Crisps w/ either honey/fig preserves/green onions
Spinach Artichoke Dip served with Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
Cheesy Pesto Bread
Potato Nests w/ Salmon Dip
Mini Lasagnas
Basil Hummus
Tomato / Mozerella skewers
Simple Shrimp Skewers

For Dessert I did Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes and Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes.

I have recipes to share for pretty much all of this, but today I wanted to keep it simple and share a quick recipe for the cheesy garlic pesto bread because I am 100% certain it belongs at every backyard BBQ and family get together we are having this summer! That and we're getting into that time of year where basil grows like weeds around here.

Garlic Pesto Cheesy Bread

1 Loaf French Bread

5 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1/2c+ Pesto

8oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Make deep cuts every 1/2 inch to 1 inch down the length of the loaf of bread. Your cuts should be all the way down the sides, but not cut down the bottom of the loaf. Mix the garlic and pesto together. Between each slice in your bread insert a generous teaspoon of the pesto mixture. Stuff the cheese between the slices and put the remaining cheese on top of the loaf. 

Wrap the loaf in toil and bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is all melted. You can also throw the foil wrapped bread onto the grill. Just keep an eye on it as heat and cooking times will vary.

You can find the printable recipe here. Now, go forth and enjoy some garlic pesto cheesy bread!
sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

Sunshine & Fresh Laundry

This week is flying by. I was going to start stroller strides today, but thought i should take advantage of not having other reasons that i must leave. We can always take a walk in a bit and try out the classes tomorrow.

The Sampler revealed the may2013 kit today. Its super fun and a touch funky. I'm hoping to get some project life with it done. Yay!

Squish is down for a nap so I'm thinking i should hang more laundry and do some pta house keeping... Did i mention that i will be the pta vice president for this coming school year... Yea, that's happening.

Sunshine&Bunnies,
holly

mellow this monday

Things are pretty tame around here this week. This makes me hopeful for all the awesome things I can get done... like cleaning... and cooking... and crafting... and cleaning...

I finally feel like things are winding down, but at the same time other things are gearing up. I'm pretty sure at this point that when people have relaxing weekends, they are lying. I have no idea when the last time I had a relaxing weekend day was. Between get togethers, birthday parties, errands, planning, chores, etc we have had enjoyable weekends. just busy. and i do not see them stopping. Never mind that this summer is going to be amazing between road trips, birthday parties, visiting family, camping and i'm sure more. and by amazing i mean to say amazingly busy...

Another thing to look forward to this summer will be the HEAT. I hate to be one of those who talks about the weather, but its been fairly flippin hot for this time of year here. Not cool weather. Literally, not cool. On that note, the flowers around here (and even in the yard!) are stunning. ok, maybe not in the yard... but they're thriving too!

I have a teeny sneak peak to share from The Sampler Kit Club! The May2013 kit is full of fun colors and happy thoughts and shinies! I am super looking forward to the full reveal and playing with goodies!

Its about 78F outside right now and all I can think about is happy hour at a local tacqueria right now... Something I fully plan on taking advantage of this summer! I think its time to work on our summer "bucket list" as a buddy of mine calls it.

sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

Hydrangea Hippo & 100 Proof Press BLOG HOP!

Today Hydrangea Hippo is hopping along with 100 Proof Press and sharing some amazing projects! I FINISHED a *gasp* project life layout using stamps from 100 Proof Press and bits and bobs from the flippin cute Sweet Girl Mixed Media Kit from Hydrangea Hippo!

I've been doing a lot of mixing lately on my pages. I'm finding it impossible to just quit 12x12 layouts cold turkey and there are only so many times I can fill a 2x3 sleeve with what we ate for a snack....no offense.

Anchors are totally trending right now and I LOVE the anchor stamp from 100 Proof Press! I cut little corners from my scrap pieces of ribbon from the Hydrangea Hippo mixed media kit to add a little more color to this card.

On the strip where i typically put my "week of" date marker, I used a lighter color aqua ink and tthe circle of dots stamp all over the strip to make a subtle pattern. Its just enough to not make it boring. or something. 

I swapped ink colors to stamp the month-day-year stamp which I'm fairly certain is my new go to date stamp for my project life albums. A touch of Hydrangea Hippo lace and some baby staples make the card just girlie enough...

I repeated my idea of a stamped background but added the circle of stars with the other stamp and in a darker blue.

Don't forget to keep hoping down the trail to the other blogs! There are some amazing prizes in store!

 Jennifer

Tracy

Nancy

Amy

Teresa

Heather

Caro

Christine

Candice

Irit

Sara

Holly (**you are here**)

100 Proof Press

Jennifer

sunshine&bunnies, 

holy* 

Supplies Used: 

Sweet Girl Mixed Media Kit

Month-Date-Year Stamp

Circle of Stars Stamp

Anchor Stamp
Circle of Dots Stamp 

Kraft Cardstock 
Tiny Attacher 
Black Gel Pen
 

The auction that never ended...

This past weekend was the auction that i have been working in since the fall. The upside? It was a big success and we raised over 100k to continue PTA funded programs at our school. The downside? Its still not over. Syncing data, delivering unclaimed auction items, thank yous, returning equipment, more thank yous.... The list goes on.... Not to mention, I'm seriously thinking about next year and chairing again.... Sorry blog and craft life. Hopefully having more time to plan means less time to stress....

In other news, exciting blog hops coming up from Hydrangea Hippo as well as amazing new kits from not only Hydrangea Hippo and The Sampler! I have so many goodies on my desk right now, i NEED to make some time to get some real work done! Hehe...

The kids are also amazing. The boy is on the verge of a yellow belt in his martial arts class and the ladybug is up to general mischief.... 

 

Its a zoo at our house, can you tell??? ok, i'm off. have a super friday! 

sunshine&bunnies, 

holly*

time flies... when you have too much crap to do....

The past two months have been completely nuts. I hate to use this blog as a place to whine and air my dirty laundry, but I have very little to talk about thanks to an all consuming project of mine which we will refer to as THE AUCTION.

Why THE AUCTION? Because its an auction. Lol. No, really. I am co-hosting an auction for the boogerbear's elementary school. The adventure started back in November, but we are T minus two weeks and counting. I have put on a lot of hats during this process. Event coordinator (previous life, before children, not really a big deal), procurement underling (give me stuff... rarr... i mean please...), graphic designer (if i have to design one more flyer, i am going to SNAP!),  web developer and whatever else got thrown under my feet. In short, its almost over and I will persevere!

Actually, in a must be constantly swimming state, THE AUCTION has been fun. A lot of work, yes. But a lot of neat things too. Some great relationships have been made with other parents. Its nice to feel like I am making an impact at the boogerbear's school (even though we're thinking of changing his enrollment in the upcoming year, but more on that later). I totally get to indulge the party planner in me between hitting the floral supply, ordering linens, interviewing DJS, sourcing rentals, and working on little details that will make THE AUCTION just fabulous. I will persevere.

In other news, Pip's 1st two molars are coming in. Every dirty shirt in our hamper has snot streaks on it... pants too. I just revealed the March kit from The Sampler.

Its fabulous. Planning on spending some quality time with it tomorrow at the Friday night crop at Memories Live On. Click here for more details! There is also a FREE .STUDIO FILE to coordinate with the kit. Love it!

Hydrangea Hippo revealed a new kit this month too!

I am loving mine! The trims alone are simply phenomenal! I will have projects to share in a couple weeks, but I highly recommend you check out this kit for yourself! Head over to the Hydrangea Hippo blog, check out the details and you could even WIN one yourself!

ok , enough babbling for now. I must get back to making flyers for THE AUCTION! If I'm not back in three weeks, send help... and a bottle of tequila... same thing really....

sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

TSKC Challenges in February

Another month just flew by and here we are at sketch challenge time again over at The Sampler Kit Club! This month I did both a layout and a card! In record time!

First, the layout. I'm pretty much obsessed with the gold dotted vellum in this month's kit. That and cuts from my cameo.  Too bad I'm not obsessed with taking photos that are straight... Regardless, loved the sketch and love the layout!

 

Next came the card sketch. I normally don't make a lot of cards using the kits. BUT, this month was a card kind of month, what can I say?

I technically used the card sketch, BUT very loosely. This is one of my favorite things about sketches and kits. You have all the things right there, perfectly coordinated to create something wonderful. Then you have a sketch so you have a direction to work in. And, before you know it, you have a finished project! 

I also have a photo to share of a Pip in a box. I think she shares mommy's OCD nature love for organizing. Who knew these plastic bins were not only perfect for storing baby stuff, but also babies.

No, really, do not store your babies in plastic containers!

Ok, off to work on this whole Wednesday thing. Hope to have some fun today! You should head over to The Sampler's Blog to check out the sketch challenges and more inspiration! It might lead to your own kind of fun and even some goodies!
sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

a few things, here and there

First things first, I'm posting over at Hydrangea Hippo today with my projects from the Everyday Eclectic kit! This was my first kit from the Hydrangea Hippo shop and it was way fun to work with! I had some sneak peaks to share, but I'm having to restore my laptop and extract all my files (THANK YOU CARBONITE!) as I type this. So that just means you need to head over to the Hydrangea Hippo blog and check out the fun stuff I made using the kit!

Next things next. Today was a lovely day but sad too. My laptop isn't "dead" but corrupted files are preventing its use. This is good and bad. Bad because I desperately need it to finish flyers, posters and invitations for the upcoming auction. Good because I made a mini album, 4 dt layouts and 8 layouts for an album I'm working on to donate to be auctioned off. Not only that but my desk is CLEAN. Like, I actually used cleaner on the table top surface... because I could actually see the table top...

Along with a crafty day, today looked like this. We're in for a little rain the next few days. Which, like a crazy person, I'm thrilled about. I know so many are begging for spring, but I just need a little less sun for a while. It is still winter after all...

sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

fun for friday

Happy Friday, Y'all!

quick share today! sketch and a layout to leave you for the weekend!

sketch from Heather Landry @ Miracle Momma Designs!

and then.....

i used lots of yummy pieces from my stash, which has only been growing for the past, oh, decade. so happy to use some of my favorites. new and old.

PSA: dont forget about the giveaway at the bottom of this post! its live for a few more days and pretty much amazing. so go click buttons!

sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

Now designing for....

excited too announce that I will be designing for Hydrangea Hippo! Hydrangea Hippo is a marvelous etsy shop selling paper crafting kits and amazing embellishments & trims and so much more! I highly recommend checking out the store and the website! My Hydrangea Hippo posts will come later in the month, but i can share a little sneak peak from the Everyday Eclectic Kit....

also, a giveaway! $25 Hydrangea Hippo gift certificate! Good for ANYTHING in the store. COMPLETELY AMAZING!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope everyone is having a wonderful tuesday and thanks for sharing my good news with me!
sunshine&bunnies,
holly* 

weekends spend wisely

or not. This weekend i ACCIDENTALLY started spring cleaning. Now the house is a huge mess. whoops. hopefully over the course of the entirely too busy week, things will get back to normal. its all "surface" mess... right.

we also made blueberry pancakes Saturday...

 

Pip LOVED them! 

 

enjoy your monday! i know i will with venue visits and meeting planning for the school auction! YAY! 

sunshine& bunnies, 

holly*

January 2013 Challenges from The Sampler Kit Club

Over at The Sampler's blog, there are a couple amazing challenges for cardmakers and scrapbookers alike!

I used my January 2013 kit from The Sampler for the layout sketch and I LOVE how it turned out!

I have one more project to share from this month's kit but that will have to wait just a few more days so i can get my act together. I've been stuck to a desk with my laptop since the display decided to go out. I guess I should be looking into computer repair places. I'm just not ready to give this laptop up. lol.

Happy Wednesday yall!
sunshine&bunnies,
holly*

Back from CHA, the ordering continues...

Last week was an amazing week full of family, fun, friends, crafts, inspiration and sheer awesomeness! Now that we're home, the hardest part is having to be a responsible adult and doing laundry. Bleh.

Thus week is heavy handed in the planning department. Wrapping up kits for The Sampler, ironing out details for the elementary school's auction, planning a perfectly penguin 1st birthday party for Pip.... just a few of the fun things that make me so glad to be home.

Sunshine & Bunnies,
Holly*

New Year, New Goals

I try to keep this time of year simple. No HUGE life changes. Just a few, simple adjustments to live a better life. I really like the idea of one word and this year I am going to actually pick SIMPLE. I find myself so often trying to make things beyond complicated and I always find myself happier with the simple results. I am aiming for SIMPLE to get me through some hectic times this coming year. Nothing bad. In fact, 2013 is going to be a great year! We have a family vacation coming up, CHA-Winter, Scrapbook Expos, and the PTA annual auction to prepare for and enjoy! And so much more. Life will be very full this year, but SIMPLE as well.

Speaking of living life, The Sampler Kit Club revealed the January2013 kit today! Check out the "Live Life" Kit!

 

On that note, I'm working on a series of mini albums using kits from The Sampler that is just begging me to get back to work, so off I go! Happy 2013! I look forward to sharing another great year!

sunshine&bunnies,
holly*