Laura Vegas

2 weeks worth of project 365 for you today. and it IS saturday … even if it's 1:30 in the morning. lol! i'm just being super efficient to make up for last week and my not posting. and i guess you'll figure out that the photo i have for saturday, was really taken on friday. since i can't possibley be out taking pictures today … when it's pitch black. lol! photos are all ordered and will be picked up in the morning … all the way up until today. then i just have to journal still. without further ado … week 13 and 14 photos.

 

day 81 … march 22nd. girls hanging out … soccer in the backyard. one thing that i think of when i see this? the fact that sarah always zips up her jackets ALL the way … to the top. we always tell her to unzip it a little to show her shirts … but she doesn't. and alyssa … she always wears that hoodie. it's super cute … but definately showing some wear and tear.

 

day 82 … march 23rd. on monday, sarah had her awards ceremony at school. she got one for writing and one for making the honor roll. super proud of her on the honor roll … she's doing so well in school.

 

day 83 … march 24th. i have these 2 pots outside by the front of the house … framing either side of our porch. and i've planted a few things there … just never remember to water them and they usually die fairly quickly. so at one point, i think i gave up … and these pots have sat empty for about 2 years. that's kind of sad … not a great sight when you walk up to our door i guess. lol! it's been funny to see something actually growing in there … without me doing anything. and while i think half of this is actually just weeds … the pink flowers are something i planted years ago.

 

day 84 … march 25th. just a shot of sarah's room. this is the corner above her dresser. the paper lanterns are so colorful in her room … and the ladybug pillows are so cute. they used to be on her bed … but have made their way to the top of her dresser now. although she says she wants a room make-over for her birthday.

 

day 85 … march 26th. my nasty curling iron. lol! i like to think that everyone's looks a little like this … with the ceramic part flaking off from all it's use. although that might even be hairspray … i have no idea. i have curly hair … but it needs extra shaping most of the time. so i curl parts of it here and there … every day. some day i should invest a little in a good quality curling iron … i think this is some cheapy $20 one from target that i've been using for years. 

 

day 86 …. march 27th. the volleyball has become very popular in this house the past couple of months. alyssa plays it a lot in PE at school … and loves to practice in the house. yes, i'm not only dealing with soccer being played in the house … i have volleyball going on now too. they're not big on doing it in the backyard … just in the house. at any given time … you will usually find about 3 balls in the house. i just kick them around as i go about my day.

 

day 87 … march 28th. this space kills me. this is part of the built in entertainment center in the family room. see the shelf with the jars and stuff on it? that wasn't even there when they built this with the house. you can see the tv there at the bottom … and yet the shelf for the vcr and dvd player was way up there at the very top. never even made sense to me. who would have a tv that wasn't that wide … but super tall … and 2 feet off the ground?!?! my mom ended up building me another shelf above the tv … totally looks like it was made that way. we had a super old radio/cd/cassette tape boom box type thing up there … you know, with the big speakers on either side. but the cd thing broke and we don't own any cassettes. so i took it out. only problem? now i have this huge amount of cords from the tv, dvd player, vcr (for kid movies), and dvr. i have to figure out a way to hide them. those branchy things i got on clearance and planned on adding ribbon and stuff to them to make them cute. and just got the mini apples to add to the vases … but need another bag. some day it'll look better.

 

day 88 … march 29th. the loft area when you walk up the stairs … looking from the corner of my studio. none of that stuff you see belongs there. the chair, the stool, the extra dresser, and all the misc stuff. you can even see my polka dot make up bag there … told you i carry that thing all over the house. lol! anyways … there's a story to why this is all out of place. i spend all weekend on this. but it'll have to wait.

 

day 89 … march 30th. this is the girls side of the scrap island. and it never looks like nice. then again, this might not be their actual stuff. lol! but it made me realize that i really need to get their side organized and cleaned out … and to get cuter storage. i really need some more of those ikea boxes (the red and black, but in green too). if only that didn't involve a 3 hour trip to get them. more on this at a later time. 

 

day 90 … march 31th. just a random photo of alyssa. and don't tell … but i took this photo at the beginning of march (not the 31st). shhhh … it's a filler photo. lol! and her typical "peace" sign. do kids just start doing that at a certain age?

 

day 91 … april 1st. sarah and one of her banks. she got this one for christmas … it's supposed to keep track of the money you put in. got the digital reading on the top. now if only she could keep any money in there. lol! she's a spender. if she has money, she has to spend it. if she doesn't have money, she will still find a way to spend it. lol!

 

day 92 … april 2nd. alyssa is totally addicted to everything "twilight". she actually got this jacob wall hanging for christmas. it has sat all rolled up for over 3 months in her room. she would ask me all the time when i would be able to hang it up. and i would always tell her i'd do it later … that i would get it done. over and over. for whatever reason, i was walking up the stairs on thursday … and stopped and grabbed a nail from the downstairs bedroom closet. the hammer was already up in the loft from something else. i walked in her room, grabbed the hanging, stood on her bed, and in one swift movement … hit that nail in the wall and hung the cord on there. took me all of 30 seconds to do. she kept saying "i waited 3 months for THAT?!?!". lol! it was hilarious.

 

day 93 … april 3rd. working on the laptop. i was being so efficient yesterday. cleaning out my inbox, printing emails that i needed to save, uploading and ordering photos, posting on my blog. just all that stuff that feels good to get done. and i finally put a photo of the girls back on my wallpaper. i had some crazy pink think with a quote … it wasn't that pretty. my girls are much cuter to look at. and see that red pencil cup? alyssa made that for me 2 christmas's ago … at a ceramic place where you paint your own stuff and they do whatever they do to it (kiln maybe?). it reminds me of a ladybug, even though i think she was going for the polka dot thing … and i just love it!

 

day 94 … april 4th. i'm torn on the candle issue. i love candles and have a lot of them in the house. but i never actually use them. they're too pretty to light, right? the only one i ever light is the one in our bathroom … because i take my showers at night and refuse to turn on any bright lights. lol! and yet, i have ordered quite a few candles over the past few months. a few were from my neighbors candle party … and a few were from the girls school fundraiser. they're just randomly sitting downstairs. and i just noticed the other day that they were all red. totally different scents … a cinnamon, a cranberry/orange, and a pomegranite. and i never picked any by the color … it's not like i was trying to get red candles to match anything. luckily, they do match though. lol!

i need to refocus on my photos this week. get more of the girls, of joe, and of me. i was doing good with that in the beginning … and i think i slacked this past month. luckily, the girls are off school all week … so they'll be around more. now to get these past 3 weeks journaled in the album!

i had big hopes of sharing a layout or two today. i have enough of them laying around … but yet, none of them are totally finished. and i don't have the time or focus to get in and whip them out quick enough to post. because then i know they wouldn't be what i want … they'd be rushed. so for today … just a quick card that i did a few weeks ago.

 

supplies –
bottle cap – lil davis
flower – bazzill
stamps – hero arts
embossing – cuttlbug (swiss dot)

i was digging around in my 2007 photos on the external hard drive last night … and came across some unloved photos. i'm the kind that actually edits all my photos each month … just about every, single one … even if i never get around to printing or scrapping them. so i was surprised to find all these photos that i had never edited … i feel so bad that they have sat unloved since 2007. so i edited them all last night (the best i could, since they're older ones) … and figured i'd share them. always fun to look back at how much the girls have changed.

 

february of 2007. we were totally just playing around … bought this huge lollipop just to take some photos. but the coloring was off … and i meant to redo them. but they're still cute. and oddly enough … i think we still have that lollipop a full 2 years later. that might be kind of gross actually. lol!

 

 

i think this is cute … because it's totally sarah's pouty face. the one that really makes you feel sorry for her … and usually gets her what she wants. lol!

 

june 2007. this photo cracks me up .. so typical of them. just goofin around and having fun with each other.

 

june 2007. i made the girls pose for 4th of july photos in june .. for an assignment. the official start of photographing holidays before they even happen.

 

august 2007. how on earth could i have skipped over these? sarah is so adorable in these … love that smile. and see that lighter line across her nose? we have no idea why she had it … but she had it for a good year or two. always more noticeable in the summer … since she gets so tan. but last summer, it sort of went away. i see it coming back though this year. lol!

 

 

september 2007. this one is funny. i took this at one of alyssa's soccer games … and sarah had either already played or was on her way to play. she always wanted to go play on the park during alyssa's games. most of the time i wouldn't let her go … i'm not big on letting my kids run off too far from me (i'm way overprotected and won't apologize for it. lol!). but we must have been sitting close enough this day … because i know i took this photo from where i was watching the game. no idea why she was trying to swing in the baby swing. lol!

 

october 2007. we were trying out a new photo spot down the street from us … and this was our attempt in the morning. which was too bright and sunny. so we went back later that night … and i got some great shots that are actually hanging super large in my house.

 

 

 

november 2007. wow … one of me. this isn't a great photo … and quite blurry. but this was actually taken by one of my previous daycare girlies … and she was about 6 at the time (if i'm doing my math right … which chances are, i'm not!). i spend most games that year taking photos for the team … so that's my camera bag on my back. but she wanted to take some pics … and took over my camera for a bit one game. i do love that she took this of me.

 

 

december 2007. just some random photos i took of the girls.

still trying to get my project 365 photos together from last week. i'm thinking i may just add them on to saturday's post with this weeks. and i need to start editing the photos from deneen's party … i have about 200 of them that made the cut, which it a lot. lol! and i'm really wanting to scrap … and have some things to work on. just have to find where i put them. what i was working on last weekend involved cleaning up my entire studio top to bottom … so i had some things that i just shoved in random hiding places. and now i need to track those down!

once again … i realized that i hadn't taken photos of they itty bitties this month. lol! i think i did this last month too. at least i snapped a few yesterday.

 

miss haley … i made her pull her hair back for some pics. she wasn't thrilled about that. lol! can you see all the spoons and forks shoved in her pockets? her and nikolas had every single utensil out of the play food basket … and were fighting over who got them.

 

little girl ponytails … so cute, right?

 

 

still walking around with that crazy smile everytime i take my camera out. and he will scrunch up his face like this, smile really big, and close his eyes … and will walk around the house. occasionally, maybe running into random walls and furniture. lol!

 

i asked nikolas to go and sit by haley for a picture … he decided to sit ON haley. do you see the look of worry on her face? lol!

 

fighting over something in one of the baskets. because you know that there aren't enough to go around, right? only makes sense to want the same toys at the same time.

 

actually, i took this one last week. guess i did have my camera out at some point.

 

 

and what month would be complete without a few self-portraits with the itty bitties? not always the most flattering … but real life, i guess. maybe i should get out my remote next time … so i'm not holding out the camera at arms length for all of these. note to self for next month.

these photos were from last sunday … but they could really be from any given day. although for whatever reason … about 80% of the time they play soccer, they play it IN the house. lol!

 

i know these next few aren't technically great … and they're blurry. just one of those brain fart moments with the camera … i have those often. but still love them.

   

 

 

 

i thought this one was cute … she DOES love soccer. lol! and i love that they love it … and are in it to have fun. the past few weeks during their indoor soccer games … they've played against some pretty rough teams. while their team is out there to have fun and keep the girls playing in the off season … they're being put up against all these highly competitive teams that are out for blood. they even tell me that girls from the other team are swearing at them out on the field. that makes me mad … and sad at the same time. hate that kids are like that at such a young age … when they should be having fun and being kids. good to know that my girls are on a team that is out there for those reasons.

 

kind of late getting on here tonight. i was busy today with this:

 

one of my best friends, deneen, and her husband celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this week. their 4 gorgeous daughters, along with friends and family planned a surprise party for them. i was on photography duty (along with ron's friend) … and took about 250 photos tonight. hopefully, i got some good ones for her. these are just 2 that caught my eye when i downloaded them a few minutes ago. happy anniversary ron and deneen!!!

 

i've also been super busy with another project this weekend. one that somehow involved me taking at least 400 photos … just to get about 10 good shots. don't ask … it's not even funny that it was that much work for such simple shots. lol! needless to say … i still have a ton of work on that to finish by monday. so i probably won't be sharing my project 365 for last week until i'm done with that. first time i'll be late posting that since starting this 13 weeks ago … ugh, i was doing so well.

and loved seeing how many of you would love to get my cards … i wish i had more to go around. i entered the number in the magical "random number generator" … and asked it for 3 numbers. yep, i added another one … although i have no idea what will be in that package yet. just wanted to add one more winner. first name gets the completed cards, second name gets the stuff to make cards, and the third names gets a surprise 😉

i havn't done a giveaway in a while. but i was cleaning out my studio today and reorganizing a bunch of stuff. one thing i went through was my cards. i make a lot of cards … but never get around to using most of them. and not to say that these aren't good cards … but they're just not ones that i think i'll use. plus, i still have a ton left in my basket. so i figured maybe someone else could use them.

 

first up … a bunch of cards that i've made. there are actually about 25 in this pile. don't quote me on that if you win and don't get 25 cards. i already shoved them in an envelope and sealed it up … otherwise i'd count to be sure. lol! there are quite a few halloween cards, christmas/winter cards … but also a wide variety of other cards.

 

second … is some stuff to make your own cards. i know, it's not the same as getting them premade … but maybe it's funner to do them yourself. lol! these are a bunch of square cards that came in some kit years ago … and have a bunch of diecut sentiments, shapes, and quotes to add to the cards. and i'll toss in something else card-related … as soon as i find something.

just leave me a comment. you don't have to say anything special … just a "hey you, i'd like that stuff" type of comment. and i'll draw two names on saturday night. good luck!

have you been watching the fun over at the making memories blog this week? they've shared some super cute ideas for party projects … and have had a few fun videos too. it's my turn now … and my video went up tonight. you can see it HERE. here's a closer look at the party favor box i came up with.

 

just promise me you won't laugh. i mean it. i have never made a video in my life … so this was quite a challenge for me. i should really do a bloopers reel … because i had some funny ones (including me totally yelling at my girls!). and i have to be honest … i was horrified that i had to film that in my kitchen and at that angle. if only my house had light … especially my studio. i had no choice. and i have to thank my girls … for trying to film this for me. and my mom … who finally got roped into the job. couldn't have done it without them … even though i tried. lol!

my neighbor just called me from work to check on her daughter … and asked why i havn't blogged anything new. i was thinking "what the heck are you talkin about" … i've blogged 11 of the last 14 days this month. lol! but ok, i'll do another one today. this is just for you ruth 😉

these photos were from 2 1/2 years ago … i first posted them HERE. i did some different editing on these to match the papers. and i actually started this layout at the same time i did THIS layout … 2 years ago. i loved the design and the flowers … so i was using it on this layout of alyssa too. just never quite finished. all i had to do was add the buttons and journaling piece … and i was done. it sat there for 2 years … and literally just took me 10 minutes to finish it. classic "laura" style (and by that, i mean the procrastination part).

 

not to sound too lazy … but if you want the details on what i did … check out that post of the original layout. lol! i didn't add quite so much here … but basically the same ideas with the hand cut flowers.

 

this journaling sprout from jillibean soup came at a great time … it worked perfect on here. i can't wait to create more with my goodies they sent me. but have to finish a few other things this weekend before i dig into them.

supplies –
pattern paper – making memories
buttons – making memories
stickers – making memores
ribbon – making memories
journaling sprout – jillibean soup
other – string

remember how sarah made me THESE gorgeous layouts using my photos? i finally got around to scrapping the photos she send me. these are the first two layouts … i have two more that i just have to put the finishing touches on.

 

this is a photo of her younger son, harrison. i just love how this went so perfectly with the new just chillin papers from making memories. the star paper worked so good … since it went from a touch of orange, to a light lighter teal sort of color that matched his shirt, to the darker teal. i left room for sarah to add some journaling if she wants … i can picture some of her fun journaling strips up on the right side.

 

i don't have too many of the just chillin embellishments yet … so i just started pulling things from my stash. love these chipboard tags … the "one of a kind" one is making memories, and the "handle with care" one is heidi swapp (i just added a chain to it).

 

i wish i knew who the ribbon is from … but i just found it in my super old stuff. then i brushed some white paint on the clear plastic star … and added some felt stars around it. and some magic mesh … i still love that stuff even after all these years.

supplies - 
pattern paper – making memories
felt stars - making memories
chipboard tags – making memories, heidi swapp
plastic star – heidi swapp
brads – making memories
ribbon – unknown
other – magic mesh, staples, chain

 

and this photo is of her oldest son max and his cousin. i have to admit … this layout just sort of came together without my even paying attention. i got caught up in scrapping last friday night … and ended up staying up until after 3:00am working on stuff. but when it's that late at night .. i really don't know what i'm doing. i just happen to get these papers from scenic route last week in a goodie box … and the colors matched. i was quite pleased when i woke up the next morning … and it looked as good as i thought it did in the wee hours of the night. lol!

 

i kept this layout pretty simple. the papers came with a sheet of diecut letters … so i just punched out the "cousins" and adhered them with mini popdots for a little extra dimension. and then i added clear buttons to some of the circles on the pattern paper. you don't know how long i debated on the perfect placement of those buttons … not wanting them to be all next to each other or to look to planned either. lol! once again … journaling space left for sarah to add too.

supplies –
pattern paper – scenic route
diecut letters – scenic route
buttons – autumn leaves
other – string