Navy Pier

In August on our way to Green Bay, we stopped in Chicago for a night. We didn't really have any plans for the evening, but Austin hadn't been to Navy Pier before so I definitely wanted to go there. I also definitely wanted to get some Garrett's Popcorn!

supplies
patterned paper: Amy Tangerine (yes, please)
tags, die cuts: Echo Park (Happy Summer); My Mind's Eye (By the Sea); Fancy Pants (Making Waves); Elle's Studio (August monthly kit)
wood veneer: Fancy Pants

Stitch Fix #13

I can't believe this is Fix #13 for me! As a general rule, my Fixes are better when I ask for specific items (ie colored skinnies, green tops, etc). I stick with the same stylist, Britt, and I think she really has down my style. I also have noticed that I tend to like my winter Fixes more than my summer Fixes. Here's what I got this time...

Le Lis Stessy 2Fer knit dress - size medium - $78

I asked for a dress with sleeves to wear to my cousin's wedding this November and this is perfect. I like the sleeves, I like the colors, I like the design, it fit me well. But when dresses hit me at my knees I don't like he way it makes my legs look. I prefer them to hit above my knee. Plus for the price, I wsan't sure how much use I'd get out of it. So I had to return this.

Loveappella Edgewater knit top - size medium - $48

I love this top. It's like it was made for me. So soft and the fit is perfect. It's great for casual autumn days.

Tinsel Kamala skinny jean - burgandy- size 29/8 - $68

I am hoping I can find these online somewhere in a size 28/6. I have been working out a lot lately so I don't know if it's that or if this brand runs big, but these were too big for me in the waist. I am so sad :( They fit otherwise perfectly, I super love the color, and they were so soft. Plus, the price for pants is great! I tried to exchange them, but they only had a size 14.

Loveappella Roxi lace detail knit top - size medium - 54

I so wanted to keep this top but it fit kind of funky on me. I'm not sure exactly what the issue was, it was just a little bit clingy. I love the lace sleeve detail.

Bancroft Leighton metal bauble necklace - $34

This is pretty, but I don't do big necklaces. When I wear necklaces, they are small and dainty and short. Plus, I don't spent this much on jewelry. 

I only ended up keeping one item this time, partially because we just spent a lot of money on engagement pictures, but the only other item I really, really wanted to keep were the pants. I'm still hoping to find them online in my size!

How it works: You pay a $20 styling fee, fill out a fashion survey, and they send you five items. You can keep all or none of the items. If you keep all five, you get a 25% discount. The $20 styling fee goes toward your final bill. Thinking about trying it? Use my referral link.

fishing

My cousin posted this photo of her dad and her daughter on Instagram and I thought it was so cute! Zoe has the cutest little smile.

I used THIS sketch from Let's Get Sketchy and my August Clique Kit.

Enjoy your day!

collecting moments.

My cousin got married a couple of weekends ago and we had some selflie stick fun at the wedding. I found this Stuck?! Sketches September sketch to use.

I used mostly the September Elle's Studio monthly kit. The background paper is Bella Blvd but I thought it coordinated quite well.

Thanks for looking!

stamp sets
Elle's Studio (Travelogue); Two Peas in a Bucket (designed by Shimelle Laine);

summer fun.

At the end of June, we went to the Kenny Chesney concert and had a great time. A huge group of us used to go every year, but we've all grown apart and it's been years since I've seen Kenny.

I used a Let's Get Sketchy September sketch and Elle's Studio mostly Sunny Days collection. I love love love that white text patterned paper and there are two sheets of it in the 12 x 12 collection pack that I am hoarding. This is the first time I've used it and I just want to save it forever!

stamp set: Kelly Purkey
yellow patterned paper: Studio Calico

road trip.

Last month we went to Green Bay for Packers training camp. We stayed one evening in Chicago and then left the following morning for Green Bay. On the way, we stopped in Milwaukee at the Miller-Coors Brewery for a tour. At the end of the tour, you get three free beer samples. It was a warm, sunny day and they had a band playing oldies music. It was a nice little break from driving.

I used sketch 112 from Sketch N Scrap and the Paper Issues Take 5 September challenge for this page. My 5+ were blue, yellow, red, 2 patterned papers, memorabilia (my bracelet), circles and labels.

I used the Sunny Days collection from Elle's Studio and embellishments from May/June/July/August kits. The striped paper is from the 6x6 paper pad and doesn't line up exactly but I don't think it's too noticeable with the photos at the top of the page that really grab your attention. The cluster of embellishments at the bottom focus your eyes there instead of the mismatched lines.

Anyway, I've done the Budweiser brewery tour in the past and the major perk is the free beer samples, but they're also really interesting tours! You get to see quite a bit and also learn lots about the history and their brand and marketing.

• Their warehouse stores over 500,000 cases of beer at a time.
• 1400 bottles of beer are filled per minute.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

USA

My little cousin left for basic training yesterday and earlier this summer I bought the Pebbles Inc America the Beautiful die cut pieces in preparation for this day.

I found the Stuck?! Sketches one photo layout sketch to use but I had a bit of trouble with the die cuts I wanted to use. I finally cut the USA sign off he bottom of the bald eagle and that worked better for me.

celebrating you.

Ok, I'm squeezing in ONE more layout for August :) I'm home alone this evening and before I go get on the treadmill, I popped out one last layout for August.

My inspiration for this page is THIS Let's Get Sketchy sketch which I scaled down to 8.5x11 size. These photos were taken with my selfie stick at a local restaurant where we were celebrating my brother's birthday. Everything is from my August Clique Kit, Rio, with some added labels and tags from the June Elle's Studio kit.

Thanks for looking!

grateful.

Squeezing in one last page for August. I didn't get much scrapping done this month but I did one last page for the month with the Sketches in Thyme sketch 214.

everything is from my August Clique Kit, Rio

ZzzQuil.

I received this product complimentary for product testing.

I've been a nurse for nine years and one thing that has always been consistent throughout my career is that I will work any hour, any shift, any day, any week. I worked night shift for 10 years, but for the past two years I've been on day shift. Sometimes day shift starts at 4:30AM, which means getting up at 3AM.

I've also tried a few different sleep aides over the years. I was sent ZzzQuil, from the makers of NyQuil, to review. First of all, I'll just mention that the active ingredient is diphenhydramine, which is Benadryl, so you could save yourself a lot of money and buy generic Benadryl (ie diphenhydramine) and get the same results.

ZzzQuil claims to help you

• fall asleep in less than 20 minutes
• sleep soundly and wake up refreshed

ZzzQuil is non-habit forming, but you do need to allow for a full 7 - 8 hours of sleep. 

Friends.

I recently got the August Clique Kit - Rio - and finally had a chance to play with it. I think the photos on the CK website were a little deceiving. It seemed like a fun, colorful summer kit.

If you're not familiar with the Millie & June line from Fancy Pants, which I wasn't, it's totally girl themed. I mean BFF/grandmother/#1 mother/etc. Which is NOT what I'm into. So this kit is a bit of a challenge for me, which is fine, I'm going to use it up and prove that it CAN be versatile.

First up, this 12x12 page made with the August 15 Stuck?! Sketches sketch.

Thanks for looking!

summer 2015

Last summer I was single and spent a lot of time at Lake Wawasee with friends. I had many different photos that I wanted to use to document the summer, but none were necessarily worthy of their own layouts. Also, I have the May, June, July, and August Elle's Studio monthly kits which are summer themed so I mainly used those kits to create a pocket page.

I actually didn't do any stamping on this spread but I added some embellishments from Color Cast Designs wood hexagons and Fancy Pants flair.

My inspiration is from the Paper Issues August Take 5 challenge. I used: green, orange, turquoise, silver, and diagonal design (I choose a couple of 3x4 cards with diagonal stripes).

Stitch Fix #12.

I received my 12th Stitch Fix this week. I was more specific with this box than I've ever been. Normally I just ask for casual tops or dresses or maybe a pair of jeans or pants. Once I asked for a dress to wear to a wedding.

For this fix, I asked for colored pants, something green and/or yellow to wear to Packers training camp, and something or date night. This was my first Fix where I've kept ALL five items!

Market & Spruce Careen v-neck dolman knit top medium $48

Level 99 Shauna skinny jean - teal green - 8 $108

 I love the color of these skinny jeans. I think they're a great color for fall. They're super soft and fit great. My only complaint is they are a little long. I have a top very similar to this I received in a Fix last fall, but I like it a lot and I knew I'll wear this one a lot too.

Level 99 Lilah colored skinny jean - burnt orange - 8 $109

Market & Spruce Tulen pleated back knit top medium $58

These pants are another perfect color for fall and they were a little shorter than the teal green pair, so just perfect. This top will be great for training camp. Don't love the deep side split but I will wear a cami underneath. 

Eden Society Armen lace detail blouse - mustard - medium $54

I love this for training camp too, but this is just a great top. The mustard yellow is great for summer and fall and it's bra friendly, which I love. The lace detail is adorable and the length is spot on.

How it works: You pay a $20 styling fee, fill out a fashion survey, and they send you five items. You can keep all or none of the items. If you keep all five you get a 25% discount. The $20 styling fee goes toward your final bill. Thinking about trying it? Use my referral link.

this week's smiles...

I'm linking up with Annie to share this week's smiles...

I got my new 4Runner! Finally. I will share more details later.

graduated.

I'm playing along with Stuck?! Sketches, sharing this page. My mom rescued Griffey last December and immediately got him into obedience class. He desperately needed it and this was on the day of his graduation. Check out his down / stay!

supplies
patterned paper: Studio Calico; Bella Blvd
stickers: Chickaniddy Crafts; Studio Calico
die cut cut outs: Elle's Studio (Good Times);
clip: Maya Road (Man's Best Friend)
stamps: Studio Calico; Paper Smooches;
ink: Memento (tuxedo black)
alphabet stickers: SN@P! Color Vibe (lights);
acetate stars: Freckled Fawn