Project Life 25 {Week 24}

Happy Friday everyone!

I am so happy that the weekend is here!

Tomorrow night, we are hosting a cookie swap/Christmas Vacation viewing party at our apartment. I can't wait!

Tonight, we have to run to Trader Joe's to pick up some supplies for the party, finish cleaning and, of course, bake cookies!

But, its Friday, so its time to share another Project Life week.

This week, we went to a friend's Halloween party. I had these really cute Halloween stickers that I'd never used, so I couldn't help but add them to Project Life!

Top Row: AJ and I, dressed as characters from A League of Their Own ~ A friend of ours, dressed as Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation ~ Our recently engaged friends, dressed as a goth couple
Middle Row: A toast for the recently engaged couple! ~ A cell phone picture from home. Apparently, Ben isn't loving the jack o lanterns!
Bottom Row: Halloween fun-fetti cupcakes. And I just realized that the picture is in the page protector upside down!

Top Row: Students hard at work decorating pumpkins during our fall fest.
Middle Row: Pumpkin and ghost soaps drying at the festival ~ Policemen on horses, in the middle of downtown Chicago
Bottom Row: A house nearby, it looks so perfect for Halloween ~ Fall means that the city is filled with my favorite flowers - mums!

Well, that's all I've got for this week :) Wish me luck for this party tomorrow! I've never had so many people in our apartment before!

Have you ever been to a cookie swap? This is my first, but I'm so excited about it! Who doesn't love making, and sharing, cookies?!

What's Your Favorite Movie Scene?

Last weekend, while at dinner with a friend, we were discussing movies. And the idea of having a favorite scene from a movie came up. Not a favorite movie in general, but a specific scene.

Of course, I haven't been able to get the idea out of my head!

So, I thought I'd share my favorite movie scene of all time. It isn't exactly a Christmas movie, but When Harry Met Sally always feels a bit Christmas-y, especially at the end.

When Harry Met Sally: The Pecan Pie Scene


But I couldn't leave out some of my favorite Christmas scenes too!

Christmas Vacation: Little Full, Lot of Sap



A Year Without a Santa Claus: Snow Miser vs. Heat Miser


Its a Wonderful Life: Auld Lang Syne


And the one that I couldn't find on YouTube:
The Home Alone: Airport Running Scene (When I fly out of O'Hare for Christmas, I kind of want to blast Run Run Rudolph and run through the airport. But I won't, in case security has an issue with that!)

Well that certainly put me in a Christmas-y mood! What is your favorite movie scene of all time?

While you think about that, I'll be working on my next Project Life page for PL Friday!

Save the Dates

Hi everyone!

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments yesterday. Liz was so excited and appreciative :)

Today I was planning on sharing our Save the Dates.

I was a little worried because AJ and I sent ourselves one, but we never got it. But I wasn't too worried, AJ thought it was because our return address and the address on the envelope were the same (I still think this really isn't a big deal, but it was reason enough to make me stop freaking out, so it worked)

Until I got Liz's text last night. Apparently, she never got her Save the Date either!

We aren't sure what is going on!

But, I'm going to share them anyway, because I don't know what else to do. Beside email a random sampling of guests from every area that we mailed them to and see who got them. (Yes, that is what happens when you ask a science teacher and an engineer to solve a problem. We come up with a random sampling survey! Rock on Scientific Method!)

We actually sent out two different Save the Dates because I couldn't decide which color I liked best!

Which color do you like best?

Guest Post by Liz {Gingerbread Wreath}

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Today, my best friend and matron of honor, Liz, is sharing her gingerbread wreath and a tutorial.

Liz and I met way back in college when we were both in the same sorority. Since then, she graduated, I graduated, then we both graduated again, she got married and I moved to Chicago. Liz is a speech language pathologist, and she and her husband just bought a house right by my parents.

Liz and I at her 2010 wedding. Isn't she a beautiful bride?!

When Liz sent me the picture of her gingerbread man wreath, I knew I had to share it with you! Liz wrote up the directions for her wreath and sent me lots of pictures too!

Here is Liz's tutorial...

Gingerbread Man Wreath

I am so excited that Katie has invited me to share this craft with you.  Katie and I have been friends since college.  She is an amazing friend and blogger.  I, on the other hand, am not a blogger, but I love to look at the creative ideas people write about.  “Katie Stories” is my favorite blog of course.  So when I found the inspiration for this wreath on Pinterest I knew which crafty friend to turn to.  She made an adorable wreath.  I wanted to make a version for my home.  I think that the wreath was originally made out of cookies; I wanted something less ephemeral.  This is what I came up with, using felt.  I hope you enjoy!

Supplies

• 7 9X12 felt sheets  in cashmere tan –  I bought 10 sheets in total since they were on sale at Michael’s and I made the extra gingerbread men into Christmas ornaments.  I might even attach a few men to gifts for people I really like J 
• Puffy paint in winter white
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Polly fill
• Gingerbread man template – 3 in tall
• 3 bells
• Red ribbon
• Wire

Directions

1. Trace gingerbread man onto felt.  I used a white crayon.
2. Cut out men.  You should have 40. (makes a 20 piece gingerbread man wreath)
3. Hot glue wrong sides together leaving head open.
4. Stuff men with polly fill spreading evenly though arms and legs.  I used just enough polly fill to make plump men.  I wanted them to look like real cookies.
5. Glue closed.
6. Fluff men.
7. Trim any ends that don’t match. 
8. Carefully outline a boarder on the gingerbread men with the puff paint, and then create a face and buttons.  I found this to be easiest for me but you could paint the face and buttons, then do the outline. 
9. Let dry overnight. 
10. Hot glue hands and feet together.  Hands should just barley overlap.  Feet will overlap about ½ inch.  Make sure the men are forming a circle.
11. Thread bell though ribbon.
12. Hot glue to the back of a gingerbread man.
13. Make a bow and glue to the front of the wreath.
14. I did not use a wreath form for this project.  I didn’t want it to be visible through the gingerbread men so I used wire to make the wreath steady.  Hot glue wire behind the gingerbread men taking care not allow it to show in any open spots. 

Thank you so much Liz!

I will see you all tomorrow :)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday {11.25.2012}

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, because it kicks off the whole big holiday season!

The trees, the lights, the people bustling around on Michigan Avenue, I love it all!

We weren't able to go home for Thanksgiving this year, so we visited with friends, put up our Christmas tree and shopped (but not until Saturday...)


Home or Thankful 

 I am so thankful that our friends opened up their home to everyone who couldn't go home for Thanksgiving. AJ loved watching football while Allie and I cooked all day!

In the Kitchen

Last week, Becky made these awesome acorn cookies with her girls. I thought they would look so cute adorning cupcakes for our Thanksgiving. I couldn't find the mini nutter butters, so I substituted mini nilla wafers. They were sooo yummy!

Couple

This little snowman couple adorns our Christmas tree. We have quite a few 2011 ornaments, since it was the first year we had our own apartment. We need a 2012 one now!

Bubbles

The berries on this tree looked like bubbles...kind of...right?

Trees

These trees, decorated for Christmas but still holding on to the last of their leaves, were my original picture for this prompt...

But I couldn't resist sharing one of our Christmas tree too!

Have a wonderful Sunday night. I'll be back tomorrow with a guest post from my best friend and matron of honor, Liz!

Thanksgiving Mini Album {Benny + Tommy + Mom and Dad + AJ}

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

This morning, I had my first ever cavity filled. It was super weird. I mean, it didn't hurt at all, the noises were just odd!

But afterwards, AJ and I went to pick up some wine for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner at our friend's place. Then we ran some errands and went out to lunch!

What a relaxing day :)

Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I finished up my Thanksgiving mini album too!

More Thanksgiving mini album:

Tutorial + Cover
Scrapping + Photography + Chicago + Adventure
Job + Health + Faith
Bloggy Friends + Friends + Family


Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Mini Album {Bloggy Friends + Friends + Family}

I'm sorry I wasn't here yesterday. I'm not sure what was going on. I got tons of sleep Sunday night (9.5 hours!!) and I still woke up exhausted! I could barely function yesterday.

But today is the last day of school before Thanksgiving break, so you can bet I'm not letting myself feel sick today!

We have a bit of a crazy day at work: all school mass, followed by prayer buddies, 15 minute classes (to give back their final exams) and then the talent show! Its going to be a packed, but fun, day!

More Thanksgiving mini album:
Tutorial + Cover
Scrapping + Photography + Chicago + Adventure
Job + Health + Faith

I can't believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving Eve already! Do you have any Thanksgiving Eve traditions? When he was home, AJ would always go out with his friends, but we won't be doing that this year. Instead, we are going to go out for dinner, and then take pictures of the Michigan Avenue lights!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday {11.18.2012}

Happy Sunday evening everyone!

I hope you had a great weekend.

Ours was pretty packed :)

Friday evening we went out with some friends. We tried a new place, and we really enjoyed the atmosphere. And AJ said the burgers looked great, so we will definitely be going back!

Saturday we had our "friendsgiving". Unfortunately, my body revolted against the rich food so we had to go home early (I guess eating healthy for the past month has changed my eating habits!)

Today we went to church, and then I headed over to a friend's apartment to help her cook for a pot luck she had this evening. We had a great time! Then, I headed home for some homemade pizza with AJ. And now I'm here posting Scavenger Hunt Sunday!

It really has been a fabulous weekend!

Vision

My vision is terrible. Without my glasses or contacts, there is no way I could read this book. Or even walk through my apartment without crashing into the walls!

Strong

Holding hands with AJ :)

Buttons

The buttons on this jacket are one of my favorite things about it!

Map

This map from Lincoln Park shows where the City Cemetary used to be. Basically, the park was built over it after the fire. I'm not going to lie, it kind of freaks me out when I think about it for too long. But the park is beautiful, so maybe the people buried there don't mind!

Favorite Fruit

Granny Smith Apples. A total favorite of mine right now :)

Well, that is all for me tonight. I'll be back in the morning with more of my Thanksgiving Mini Album!

Project Life 25 {Week 23}

Yay! Today actually is Friday! And I have internet access again after it went out yesterday! That is definitely something to celebrate!

And, we are taking finals at my school today - so I'm really celebrating :) I hate the crazy week leading up to finals, but I love final exam day. Its such a nice relaxing day (for the teachers, at least!)

So, I'm taking a one day break from the Thanksgiving mini album to bring you our regularly scheduled Project Life page!

Top Row: The very small pumpkin patch we went to - over two hours away!

Middle Row: AJ and I at the pumpkin patch

Bottom Row: The view from my classroom, I loved watching the leaves change. Of course, they are all gone now, which is another beautiful view. ~ The pumpkins we picked up at the patch

Top Row: AJ bringing me an umbrella on an unexpectedly rainy day. This storm started while I was on the L on my way home. I called him to come get me at the L stop with the car, but he preferred to walk and bring me an umbrella - I think he got very wet though! ~ One of my favorite fall outfits ~ The organ at our church. It is huge and very very loud!

Middle Row: The view from our roof

Bottom Row: The city in the rain ~ A candle I just love ~ More pictures of our church. I really think it is just so pretty!

We are having a "friends-giving" tomorrow, and I'm really excited to celebrate with everyone. AJ and I weren't able to fly home for Thanksgiving this year, so it will be nice to take part in a Thanksgiving feast!

Do you ever celebrate holidays with friends? This will be a first for me!

Thanksgiving Mini Album {Job + Health + Faith} and Third Thursday Scrapbook Stories {11.15.2012}

Happy weekend eve everyone!

This has been the longest week ever! Is it Friday yet?!

I have lots of things to share with you today...

First, I'm over at A Beautiful Day sharing the rest of the layout that goes with this photo...

Hahaha,don't worry too much...AJ knows that I'm sharing this picture with you guys! He even helped me think of funny things for him to be saying here!

And if you head over there, be sure to stop by Julie's awesome giveaway!

I also have the next two pages of my Thanksgiving scrapbook album :)

Did you ever think a day was Friday, and it wasn't? That's the mistake I made yesterday. And Tuesday. And today.

But tomorrow is Friday, and I'll be back with Project Life Week 23!

Thanksgiving Mini Album {Scrapbooking + Photography + Chicago + Adventure

Yay Wednesday!

This year, I wanted to create a Thanksgiving mini album about all of the things that I am grateful for in my life.

I thought it would be fun to share the pages this week and next week in honor of Thanksgiving.

Of course, I had to include scrapping and photography. I am so grateful that we have the resources for me to  have this as part of my life. And of course, I am grateful to have a fiance that doesn't mind the scrapbook paper and embellishments all over the apartment, or having his picture taken all the time!

These two things kind of go together, so I put them on pages next to each other. The adventure that we are on with AJ's job is what brought us to Chicago. I'd always wanted to live here, but never thought I'd have the chance after deciding to stay in New York for college! There are so many times that I look around and say "Wow, I can't believe that this is where we live!"

I'll be back tomorrow with the next two pages of my album...and a hysterical picture of AJ, that I'm sure he won't mind if I share on the blog...right? :)

If you missed any pages along the way, you can stop here:
Paper Bag Mini Tutorial + Cover

How to Make a Paper Bag Mini Album + Thankful Mini Album {Cover}

Good morning everyone!

In honor of Thanksgiving being next week (seriously! Next week! Where has this month gone?!) I am sharing my Thanksgiving mini.

But first, a tutorial on how to create a paper bag mini album.

To be honest, I'm not sure where I saw these first, but I've seen them in lots of places!

Supplies:
Paper lunch bags (I used the oversized ones, but you can use the regular ones too)
A glue stick
Paper cutter

Directions:

 

1. Place the bag so the flap on the bottom is facing down. Then, fold up the bottom so that the flap is now facing you. Press it down so you have a nice fold. Repeat this with a second bag.

2. Glue all over the flap of one of the bags.. Make sure you get to the edges.

3. Glue the flap of the second bag on top of the first bag.

4. Cut the bags to your desired length.

Note:
If you cut the bags longer than the flap, you will have "mini pages" inside your album, like this:

If you cut your bags to the same size as the flap, all your pages will be the same length, like this:

 I liked this way better, so my album has pages that are all the same length.

An added bonus: every other page will have these built in pockets!

5. Repeat these steps as many times as you want. Each time you repeat you will get six additional pages.

6. Once you are done, punch holes in the paper bags and tie them together.

7. Now you are ready to decorate your pages however you want!

From now until Thanksgiving, I'll be sharing the different pages from my paper bag mini album :)

This is the cover.

I used Recollections "Night and Fall" paper and Jillibean Soup burlap chipboard alphas!

I can't wait to share the rest with you! Its my first paper bag mini - but I'm sure it won't be my last!

In other exciting news - Julie is having an awesome giveaway in honor of reaching 200 followers! You can click here to see the prizes!