never stop improving

Probably 19 years ago, I happened to meet my future father-in-law, quite by chance, when Gordon and I were exiting the Contractor's side of The Home Depot. As you can imagine, the Contractor's side...you know, it's down there by the lumber...is not an exit that most people use. Naturally, this chance meeting took Gordon by surprise.

We chatted with Gordon's Dad {aka Papa} briefly, and it's not that he didn't want me to meet his Dad, he just knew that Monika was a talker and he had not quite had "the talk" with his parents about his new Sweetie. 

You know, the one that was older, divorced AND had a child. 

Sixteen married years later, we are still walking the aisles of home improvement stores together and we still enjoy it. The plans, the search for the perfect items, the installs and the finished projects.

I'm so glad that I asked Victoria to snap a photo of us with my iPhone this Spring. It is a perfect capture of how we have spent many of our days together. And I imagine, we'll spend many more days like this, side by side, conjuring up our next project.

I've had this layout laying out and ready to glue down since the Spring, but just haven't taken the five minutes to do so. Sunday, I finally relented and glued it all down.

And as the Lowe's tagline says, "Never Stop Improving." That's what a marriage, a partnership and being part of a team is all about. 

Continue to be the best you can be and never stop...in whatever you do.

the twinery + serendipity stamps | product showcase

Welcome to Day One of another great hop featuring goodies from The Twinery and Serendipity Stamps. You should have arrived from the blog of The Twinery's talented and crafty DT Coordinator:

Julie Ranae

If not, head on over to The Twinery blog so that you can start from the beginning and not miss a stop along the way...or a chance to win our fabulous prizes!

I was a cross-stitcher, back in my high school and college days, and love how versatile the baker's twine from The Twinery is for hand-stitching on layouts, cards and in mini albums. After die cutting several solid butterfly die cut shapes, I embellished the center by stitching the center with solid Pink Sorbet.

The Card

The Details

To further embellish the card, I added the Dream die cut and cross-stitched, in solid Pink Sorbet again,  along the edge.

I hope you all have as much fun hopping along as we had creating with baker's twine, die cuts and stamps.

The Prizes

Check in with The Twinery and Serendipity Stamps for details on how to win these fabulous prizes.

from The Twinery | Solid Sampler Pack, retail value $48

and

from Serendipity Stamps | $25 Shopping Spree

Your next stop on the hop is with:

Jenny Gropp

...and here's today's  Hop Lineup  so you don't get lost!

The Twinery - http://thetwinery.com/blog

Serendipity Stamps - http://serendipitystamps.com/blog

Julie Ranae - http://juliesopenwindow.blogspot.com/

Monika Wright - http://www.iloveitallwithmonikawright.com/ ➸ that's me!

Jenny Gropp - http://onekraftykat.blogspot.com/search/label/Serendipity%20Stamps   

Marybeth Lopez - http://marybethstimeforpaper.blogspot.com/search/label/Serendipity%20Stamps

Christine Meyer - http://scrappingwithchristine.blogspot.com/

Miriam Napier - http://miriamsdelirium.blogspot.com/search/label/Serendipity%20Stamps      

Katarina Damm-Blomberg - http://krumeluran.wordpress.com/

Pauline Pollington - http://pauline-littlemrsp.blogspot.fr/search/label/Serendipity%20stamps   

Anita Mulcahey - http://happypapercrafthappenings.blogspot.com/

Rebecca Greco - http://hugsarefun.com/

between the pages

Enjoy more Sunday Photos.

Thanks for stopping in!

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the twinery + poppystamps | product showcase

Welcome! You should have arrived from 

The Twinery 

blog...don't miss a chance to win some fabulous prizes today by visiting each blog in the hop.

We're so happy to have you with us today as we showcase products from The Twinery and Poppystamps.  I had the opportunity to play with the Happy Birthday Background Die and I just adore the two projects that I was able to create with it.

Masculine Love

Instead of popping out all the die cut letters, I was able to keep the letters attached {partly because I used a heavier weight cardstock}. And because of where I placed the die on the cardstock, I had room to add some gorgeous Cappuccino baker's twine along the bottom and anchor it with a bright red heart.

It's so difficult to create greeting cards with a masculine twist and I think this one is just perfect!

Birthday Gift + Card All-in-One

Oh the joy of double-sided cardstock. After die cutting two backgrounds, I reversed the lettering for the word happy when adhering it to my card front. 

Then, when the cards is opened, you'll find a tag that's been embellished with the word birthday. I trimmed away the "day" from the script font and used the collection of remaining letters to spell day. 

Adding the Carribbean baker's twine, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite shades from The Twinery, draws attention to the glassine bag the tag has been attached to. The glassine bag just happens to be the perfect size to slip a gift card inside. 

Birthday card and gift all in one!

Your next stop on the hop is with my talented and creative teammate Tifany DeGough.

...and here's today's Hop Lineup  so you don't get lost!

Poppystamps - http://poppystamps.typepad.com/

The Twinery - http://thetwinery.com/blog

Monika Wright - http://www.iloveitallwithmonikawright.com/ ➸ you are here!

Tifany DeGough - http://www.inkblotsbytrd.blogspot.com/

Ira Huberts - http://irascreacorner.blogspot.nl/search/label/Poppystamps                     

Christine Meyer - http://scrappingwithchristine.blogspot.com/                                

Kimberly Coleman - http://bastelnindieberge.blogspot.com/search/label/Poppystamps

DoBea Alberts - http://www.plumpoppystudio.com/blog/

Mary McMillan - http://glittergrammy.blogspot.com/search/label/PoppyStamps  

Tobi Crawford - http://tobicrawford.blogspot.ca/

Michele Henderson - http://crimsonowlcreations.wordpress.com/category/poppystamps/

Anita Mulcahey - http://happypapercrafthappenings.blogspot.com/

Yvonne Dunlop - http://www.mypaperstation.blogspot.com/search/label/Poppystamps     

Prizes

Be sure to leave a comment on each blog to be eligible to win these great prizes!

Metallic Twine Sampler, retail value $32

right now | july 2014

Right now, I cannot believe our Summer vacation is almost over.
Right now, I cannot believe my middle baby is going to be ELEVEN soon!
Right now, I am thankful for so many little pleasures and frustrated by others.

july  |  7.22.14

feeling

melancholy. how can my little girl be turning eleven years old already?

on the to do list

just the usual...will i ever get it all marked off?

my guilty pleasure

giving in to my urger to be laid back and lazy this summer

favorites

victoria has me hooked on sour cream and onion chips

dreaming about

the return to routines and schedules, school starts soon!

grateful for

the relationship girls have with their grandmothers. 

Download your page template here. 

Here's the post where I share how I created my mini album.

right now 2014 archives

january february march april may june july august september october november december 

calendar cuties | august 2014

I don't have any idea where our Summer has gone!

We start back to school in less than three weeks and have most of our school supplies purchased and new clothes washed, ironed and ready to make their debuts. 

Our plan is to make a quick trip to visit Zach, dip our toes in the ocean and head back home in time to celebrate Isabella's 11th birthday and the first day of school two days after that.

On the home front, we're getting sooooo very close to being finished with our garage renovation and that just makes me smile!

Find more:

downloads

calendar cuties
august 2014 calendar cutie

Thanks for stopping in!

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thankful

Enjoy more Sunday Photos.

Thanks for stopping in!

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listing, listing, listing

Have you checked in on the shop lately? 

I have a Studio full of projects ready to be listed and I have mini photo sessions set up everywhere as I try to capture the best light. I'll keep at it today and hopefully get a few more goodies photographed and listed as I work on a re-stock.

Until then, here's a peek.

new goodies for the I Love It All shop

There are piles of pretty paper and projects in progress everywhere in my Studio.
And I love it!

I've been trimming paper, brainstorming new project ideas and getting embellishment packs ready for some new mini albums to add to the shop. It takes time to get it all worked out, produced, photographed in preparation to list in the shop, but I enjoy it so much. 

I get excited thinking about what might work, how I can incorporate little surprises within the pages and then arrange it all so it's an appealing product.

I'll let you know on Facebook when everything's ready to list on and don't forget to sign up for the Newsletter, I'll be sharing a gift with purchase deal soon!

Shop Now!

his toys

Well technically he's a man, but...

Enjoy more Sunday Photos.

Thanks for stopping in!

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washi tape cards

Have you used washi tape to make cards?

I've been organizing my Studio, yes again, and found a ton of chipboard and flair that I would never get around to using up on my own projects and thought that with my stash of washi tape, I could make a few cute cards to add to the shop. 

So I did.

Until Thursday evening, add at least one Washi Tape Note Card to your cart {but feel free to add other items as well, wink, wink} and use the coupon code below for a 15% discount.

ILOVEWASHITAPE

5 on the 5th | july 2014

I obviously did not look in my Filofax to realize that Saturday was the 5th of the month and so yesterday I improvised and took 5 photos on the 6th. The girls were at Nana's swimming, which is typical for a summer Sunday and, actually, it was pretty typical for us to be working on some sort of home improvement project as well.

What is 5 on the 5th?

5 on the 5th is a project where I capture our family's extraordinarily ordinary everyday moments on the 5th day of each month. It's based on the infamous 12 on the 12th photo project we've all heard of...but I changed it up knowing that I wouldn't take the time or remember to take 12 photos each month,.

I chose the number 5, since we have 5 family members.

I use my iPhone 5s to take my photos and post to Instagram throughout the day, tagging the photos with #5onthe5th. If you do a search, you'll see that there are other IG'ers documenting their everyday moments right along with me each 5th day of the month.

I then post our 5 photos here on the blog, but most people don't. I just like to because then I have a permanent record of what I've documented each and every month.

July 2014

1  |  Wrapping the garage so we can FINALLY get the siding up. I so want this side finished do I can finish the landscaping! 

2  |  Onward. Even though I'm never in "working" photos, I'm right alongside him. Okay, he does all the heavy lifting and figuring and cutting, but we make a good team.

3  |  Time for an ice cream break. Thankfully, the temperature has been kind to us thus far and the humidity is very low. But, it's still time for a break!

4  |  Finished! At least with this side. Edge trimming needs to go up, replace the steel door with the wood door with glass panes {that will need to be sanded and stained} and then prime and paint the siding. Oh, and then we can finish the plant installation. Thanks Mr. wRight, you're awesome!

5  |  A Mad Men marathon. In bed. Seems perfect after a tiring day. All of our favorite shows are on summer break, so we're looking into new shows to watch until the Fall premieres. This one is my choice and we're on Season 4. Next round, Gordon gets to choose.

If you're new to the blog and want to know more about 5 on the 5th, read this blog post. If you post about your own #5onthe5th photos, leave a comment so I can drop by for a visit!

follow along on Instagram where I tag my photos with #5onthe5th

January | February | March | April | May | June | July

do

Enjoy more Sunday Photos.

Thanks for stopping in!

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filofax friday | july 2014

Here in the USA, on July 4th we celebrate our country's Independence Day with good food, good friends, family and fireworks. For us it means that it's our first batch of homemade peach ice cream, too! Later tonight,  we''ll be listening to live music from local bands and watching the fireworks from the hill of The Highland Manor Inn, owned by friends of the family...their grandson is one of Victoria's BFF's!

My yellow Finsbury still makes me smile and I think I'll have her forever. I've been distracted with Summertime activities with the girls and haven't done much decorating or brainstorming, but I have had time for few posts on Instagram {follow me!}.

Lists

I'm a list maker from way back. I don't always accomplish everything on my many lists, but when I can mark something as done, it's a good feeling. I have a list template that I use to keep track of supplies I need to order for the shop, you can find the download here.

Tabs

Behind my Family tab, in the sub-category Home, I keep paint chips. Victoria has been wanting an accent wall in blue in her room for ages so we're collecting color choices when we're out and about.

Coupons

I'm tired of finding past dated coupons that I could have used but forgotten about. I find them stuck in my wallet and tucked in pockets inside my purse. So, I add a note to my week on two pages layout a few days before the expiration date and tuck the coupon into this envelope I've trimmed and added to my Filofax.

Lines

I'm a fan of having lines on my planner pages, they keep my handwriting neater and helps my OCD tendencies. I also love using the Project Life monthly dividers, which I trim down and re-punch to fit in my personal size Finsbury.

In the Works

A few weeks ago, I had the idea that I was going to move blog planning from my Filofax into a dedicated notebook. I'm not sold on the idea, yet, but at least I'll have a central notebook for all those ideas I have running around in my head.

Ready, Set, Go!

I'm not much to add stickers or stamps, or much else really, to my pages, but I do adore adding washi tape borders to the page borders. Since I had the supplies out, I proceeded to do a month's worth of pegs at once!

Coupons, Part II

Another option for corralling all your coupons and deals is to hole punch the coupon and add it in the week it's set to expire. I like this idea a lot!

More Inspiration

Click over to check out what my Filofax Friday partner Francine is blogging about today. 

Follow Along

Follow me on Instagram, where I share loads more Filofax tips, tricks, hacks, ideas and DIY's that never make it here to the blog. Oh, and there's an occasional giveaway there as well. 

Here are more Filofax ideas, tips and photos to browse through.

Follow my to filofax board on Pinterest.
I also have other downloads.

enamel dot + brad craft projects

Working from home has many advantages, but it also means that during school vacations that the girls are home with me as I work in getting orders out for the shop. Each morning, their question me about the day's activity and whether we're going swimming, taking a field trip or doing a craft. 

Crafty Mama that I am, I rummaged together this craft project using enamel dots and brads, and a few buttons, that I had in my stash from my days as a designer for My Mind's Eye. Then I gathered hair clips, bobby pins and paper clips, too.

I showed Isabella how she could remove the clasps from the brads so that they would lay flat when applied to the clips and bobby pins.

Then they got to work designing and crafting while I attempted to work a little.

We found that E6000 adhesive worked the best for the brads and buttons and the enamel dot were sticky enough themselves, no extra glue needed.

I ended up finding a few ring blanks and some flair buttons that the girls used as well.

I miss the days of sweet, colorful, cute hair bows when my girls would still let me put them in their beautiful long hair. 

A quick, inexpensive summertime craft project...brought to you by the Wright Girls!

NEW TO THE SHOP

washi tape note cards just listed!