Great Mother's Day Gift Idea

Hey there blog readers!!   Today I am sharing a review of my Easy Canvas Print.  Easy Canvas Prints offers a really efficient way to turn your favorite photos into great quality canvas prints. 

I was offered a print from Easy Canvas for an honest review of the product.   I was excited about the idea as I've wanted to turn a few prints into canvas for a while now.   I decided to go with this adorable photo of me and my favorite 2 little guys.  I visited the website which I found really easy to navigate, started the process and in just a few short minutes it was complete.  
 

When I received my canvas, I was really very pleased with the results.  The canvas is a 16"x20"; the image on the canvas is just a sharp as the original photo, the colors are crisp and matched the photo image perfectly, and the canvas itself is very sturdy.  

My favorite feature is the border option.  You have the option of choosing a mirror image, image wrap, or border color.  I chose the image wrap because I think it adds visual interest.

Check out Easy Canvas Prints on Facebook and turn your pictures into works of art as a gift for mom this Mother's Day.  Believe me, you will not be disappointed!!

52 Week Project - December Photos

Well...I did it!! I started this journey 52 weeks ago and I managed to see it all the way through. Granted some photos were taken a little late, a couple of photos are stuck on my cell phone, some I rushed through, and others I put a little more time and thought into, but I stuck with it and ended up with some pretty cool self portraits. Here' s the last of the bunch:

Week 48/52 taken 12.5.11 Shades of grey with a pop of color

Week 49/52 taken 12.10.11 A wise woman once said...

Week 50/52 taken 12.18.11 Decorating my Christmas tree in my pajamas and head scarf.

Week 51/52 taken 12.21.11 Last day of Autumn

Week 52/52 taken 12.31.11 I started started this 52 week journey with this photo captioned "feeling quite blah", but I'm finishing it with this photo of me with a big ole smile on my face because through it all, the good times and bad, I am still standing and feeling stronger than ever. I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a great year!!

See ya next year!!

52 Week Project - November Photos

One more month to go with the 52 Week Project. I didn't get that creative this month, but I've been a bit busy.

Week 45/52 taken 11.12.11 - The kids are in bed and now it's MY turn to hold the remote!



Week 46/52 taken 11.20.11 - I took my boys to see Phineas & Ferb's live show and captured this joyful look on my little one's face. The 3 of us loved every moment of the show!



Week 47/52 taken 11.28.11 Sooo not in the mood for photos, today!




5 more weeks to go!! Thanks for taking a peek!!

52 Week Project - October Photos

Can you believe it? 44 weeks down...and only 8 more to go until the end of the year. I've stuck with the 52 Week Projects!! I've snapped some photos a little late...ran out of ideas...thought of some news ones...and found inspiration from other participants.

Here are the photos that I captured during the month of October.


Week 40/52 - taken 10.15.11 in my backyard before heading to Maryland to hang out with my girlfriends at a wine festival.

Week 41/52 - taken 10.16.11 I love a sexy pair of shoes and fishnet pantyhose!

Week 42/52 - taken 10.22.11 creating something beautiful in my messy scrap room...

Week 43/52 - taken 10.23.11 One beautiful autumn day at Parker Farms

Week 44/52 - 10.30.11 One of my 2 costumes this year

Love the photo, but hate the fact that the belt is not in place...guess I have to just embrace that imperfection.

I had fun dressing up with my boys for Halloween...as always!

Thanks for stopping by today!!

What The Hay?!

My boys sure know how to have fun! I took them to Parker Gardens this past Sunday for a day filled with hayrides, hay slides, and pumpkin picking. They even had a blast making up their own games...the favorite being throwing hay in the air.

Xander was very apprehensive about the hay slide, but once I convinced him to go (actually, I bribed him with the promise of chocolate candy) he enjoyed himself. Donovan was an old pro, having gone up and down the slide last year.


Doesn't this look like fun? They had hay EVERYWHERE!! Oh to be a kid again!

I can't get enough of that happy face!


Thanks for stopping by today!

52 Week Project - September Photos

Can you believe that the year is 3/4 over? I am 9 months into the 52 Week Project and I'm still having a good time taking these photos! As a matter of fact, I think week 36 is my all time favorite.

Week 35/52 - taken 9.5.11 Happy Labor Day!! I am in no way a grill queen, but I know enough to make it happen. I *heart* grilled food! (took this week's photo a little late)

Week 36/52 - taken 9.9.11 Of the 43 pictures that I snapped for week 36, I liked this one best because of my smile. Played around with some lighting.

Week 37/52 - taken 9.11.11 It has been 10 years later, since the attack on the towers, but the memory of that day will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Original photo of the NY skyline was taken July 1999.

Look in the upper right hand corner...see the cross? That's not on the actual picture. Apparently the flash caught on the photo and formed a cross in the sky...eerie right?

Week 38/52 - taken 9.24.11 A jeans and sneakers type of day... heading out to visit my mother-in-law 2 days after her mother passed away.

Week 39/52 taken 9.25.11 I caught a reflection of myself in my front storm door, making one of those faces that I wish I didn't make, but I can't help it! LOL!! Not the best photo, but the face is priceless!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Finding Inspiration: Self Scraplift

One day one of my facebook/scrappy friends asked me how I managed to stay inspired. Her question instantly made me think of all the frustrating times when I pushed around elements, cut up papers that ended up going un-used, changed complete concepts, and searched endlessly for ideas. I told her that I wish I stayed inspired but when my mojo is at a low, I usually scraplift myself. I have found that by recreating a new layout from and older one, I can get over my creative hurdle and add a fresh new look to my project.

This layout, State Fair, is my most recently scraplifted project. The great thing about scraplifting is that you can recreate the entire project as is, by treating it like a sketch or simply extracting certain elements.

I love the "grunginess" of State Fair, the title and photo placement, the vertical line of tickets that lead the viewer's eye across the page, the outer mat, and the Hambly transparency (little circles). I took those elements and created This Girl. I maintained the "grunginess", but added some femininity to the page by using neutral kraft and pink elements. As in the first layout, I used luminarte to paint the lip of a cup to stamp circles and added splatters to the background.

I replaced the row of tickets with 2 velvet berry picks in brown from Petaloo's Chantilly collection to anchor the row of mixed blooms in cream and brown. I love these colors because they go really nicely with my skin tone and add a level of maturity to the layout. Placing the flowers in a horizontal line is one of my favorite ways to add flowers to my layouts. Not only is this a great way to mix and match my favorite flowers but it helps maintain space for other elements.

I kept the outer matting, title and photo placement the same and added the same style of transparency, in a coordinating color (this has to be one of my all time fave Hambly transparencies).

Journaling: has become a yogini and a zumba addict; rarely wears one shirt at a time; has nursed 2 babies; loves to smile and make others smile; is a student again; is passionate about scrapbooking and photography; has been with the same man for 17 years; is kind of clumsy; is flirtatious; has developed a new sense of sexy
photos taken 9.9.11
52 Week Project - Week 36/52

I replaced the gears with a layered velvet butterfly and scalloped envelop flaps that I tied with twine for a little extra texture and detail. The flaps actually open; this is also a great way to add hidden journaling to a project.

In the original project, I swiped paint around the edge of the layout. I used that same concept on my journaling strips in the new layout. I haphazardly swiped luminarte along the bottom of each strip and then adhere them to the layout, creating a visual triangle.


I used a couple of directional wooden elements from Pink Paislee to create additional horizontal lines and bring attention to the 2 photos where the subject (in this case, me) looked smaller than in the other 3 photos.

I added a touch of color to the flowers using the paint that was left over on my brush.

I had the concept of This Girl in my head for a while...just not the actual title. I had already created layouts titled I Am..., Many Things To Smile About, 15 Random Facts, 10 Things I Love About Me, Things I Love To Do...etc so I didn't want to revisit those. Then one of my good scrappy friends created a blog post with the title "This Girl", and I decided that it was perfect for my project!!

I hope this post has given you a few ideas for digging in your layout archives and revisiting a project that you loved creating!!

Have a great week!!

Caught On "Film"

One of my fellow OEM volunteers captured this photo of Donovan, Xander, and I just before the Rolling Thunder ride last Sunday. When I look at this photo, there are so many details that jump out at me. Donovan, who is growing so fast, is in between sizes, so his new clothes are a little big. He loves skulls and hoodies. Xander also loves hoodies, but can be coerced to leave the house with his 2nd choice, his denim jacket. He always has a toy in his hand or pocket. In this case, he's holding a diecast car of Finn McMissile, his favorite character from Cars 2. I was captured wearing 3 hats: volunteer, mother, and photographer.

Photo credit: Ed Velez

Thanks for taking a little peek into my world! Have a great week!

A Swingin' Summer

Summer is my favorite season. I anticipate its arrival and am sad to see it depart. One of the fun activities that I planned this Summer was to visit different parks and playgrounds with the boys. As always, the swings were a big hit!! Both boys made HUGE strides on the swings.

For one, Donovan finally learned to swing without a push. This is big for both of us because he was getting too heavy to push...my boy weighs 88 lbs! I had to really plant my feet and prep my wrists to push him. He credits his newly found swinging skills to his cousin Jaden who told him to lean back and spread his legs in a "v". Somehow this worked better that the way I tried to show him...LOL.

photo taken at Echo Lake Park

Mr. Xander has grown bolder on the swings. No matter how high I pushed him, he wanted to go higher! He just giggles and screams "higher, mommy, push me higher"!

photo taken at Palisades Park, Ross Dock Picnic Area

I love that such simple things make them happy!! Hopefully the cold weather stays away a little longer so we can enjoy more days at the park.

Enjoy your day!

I'll Never Forget That Day

It has been 10 years later, since the attack on the towers, but the memory of that day will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Original photo of the NY skyline was taken July 1999.

Look in the upper right hand corner...see the cross? That's not on the actual picture. Apparently the flash caught on the photo and formed a cross in the sky...eerie right?

52 Week Project - August Photos

I really can't believe that August is almost over. I was just reminded today that Labor Day is next weekend!! Holy cow! I was so worried about preparing Donovan for the school year, that it slipped my mind. I've also been preoccupied with thoughts of hurricane Irene slamming into the state of NJ this coming Sunday. Hmmm, and earthquake (the 23rd) and a hurricane all in less than a week's time! What in the world??

Anywho, I have to give myself a pat on the back for sticking with the 52 Week Project that I started back in January. I really enjoyed taking these photos this month as I tried to put a little more emotion into each photo so when I look back at the end of the year, I don't see all cheesy grins.

Week 31--taken 8.3.11 Better known as my 37th birthday. I'm famous for making faces and I think I managed to capture one of my most infamous faces here. (Nomahegan Park)

Week 32/52 Takes 8.13.11 Just me...that's it! (Echo Lake Park-paddle boating with my sons)

Week 33/52 Taken 8.20.11 Feeling a little sad, pissed, angry, and a lot of frustration this week! Can you tell? (In my kitchen)

Week 34/52 Taken 8.21.11 No, I'm not naked (wish I were that bold)...I'm actually fully clothed...just wearing a tube style top. I like the look of this photo for some reason. I changed it to b/w and added a film grain because it reminded me of an old movie. (in my kitchen)

Want to check out what the rest of the participants are up to or even join in on the fun? It's never too late!

Until next post...have a great day!