In Focus Friday w/ My Mind's Lens: April 2013

I don't feel quite so bad posting a contributor post this week since I have managed to get in two posts of my own....wonders never cease.  It is the last Friday of the month and time for Kaeley from My Mind's Lens.

Kaeley is working on crossing #16 off of her Photography Bucket List and I feel lucky that she has decided to share the fruits of her labor with my readers!  She has captured some really great shots.

My plan was to share some of my latest family portraits this month.  Sadly, both families had to cancel for various reasons.  However, I am excited to share a different project that I am working on.  Earlier this year I posted my 2013 Bucket List of photography.  I had an opportunity to start #16 this week - a series of old cars.

I am thrilled to share some of my favorites from this fun shoot.

So - I'm not great at narrowing down my choices.  Instead, you get more than a few :)

His First Concert....the One That Almost Wasn't

I was really excited to take Zachary to his first concert!  Before you start razzing me that it was for my benefit and not his, he loves Maroon 5 just as much as I do.  I am sure for him it has nothing to do with this:

And much more to do with the fact that he really likes their music.  Anyway, I digress.  The concert was March 21st.  The tickets were purchased for him for his birthday back at the beginning of November.  The day finally arrived and we were really excited.  We left home at about 6:45 for the 7:30 show start.

On the road......

Even though the traffic got pretty congested around the American Airlines Center, we managed to get parked and were at the entrance  at 7:25.  Perfect timing in my book.

Here is where the story gets interesting. The tickets were purchased from Stub Hub, so I had to print them off...I double and triple checked before we left to make sure that I had them, what I didn't check was did I have two DIFFERENT tickets.  Me being the scrapbook nut that I am, when I printed the tickets I printed two sets...one for the show and one for the scrapbook.  So you see where this is going?  When they scanned out tickets at the door, we had two of the same ticket!!!!  HOLY HELL!!!

To say that I was panicking was an understatement, but I was trying to keep my cool because Zachary wasn't flipping out and I so did not want this night to be ruined for him......HUGE MOM FAIL IN PROGRESS!  We were only about thirty minutes from home but there were no computers there.  I made the decision to jump back in the car and drive like a bat out of hell calmly make the trek to my office to print the ticket that we needed.  Was there a better solution?  Maybe so, but at that moment that was the only thing that I could think of to do so that the entire evening was not a total disaster.  Luckily for us there were two bands coming on prior to M5 - Owl City and Neon Trees.  Although we both really wanted to see all three, I knew that if we could just make it back before Maroon 5 went on that the night would be salvaged.

Although I was quite sure that I had not deleted the email containing the tickets, all during the NASCAR like drive to my office I had that little nagging doubt.  Luckily, once we made it to Grapevine I was quickly able to locate the email, print the tickets (and def checked to make sure we had two ), and run back to the car for the return trip to Dallas.  We made the trip in just over and hour for a trip that I am quite sure should have taken considerably longer.  We got our tickets scanned and made it to the t-shirt line (because what first concert is complete without a tour shirt????) just as Neon Trees was finished.  We beat the crazy bathroom line rush and were in our seats at about 9:00 PM - a good 30 minutes before M5 went on.

The concert was great and Zach really enjoyed it!  I couldn't apologize enough to him for making us miss the first two acts, but being the sweet guy that he is , he took it all and stride and told me it would make for a great story the next day at school....gotta love that!  Here are a few pics from the show.....

And the aftermath.....

It was a great night....that almost wasn't!

DFW Bloggers All About Me...Myself...& I Link Up

I know that you guys must be in shock.  Not only am I posting, but there is no contributor involved.  I did it all by myself...unless of course you count the question prompts by the fabulous Nicole of Three 31.  She is hosting a DFW Bloggers meet up this Saturday and thought it would be a great idea to host a link up so that we could all get to know one another better before the big night.  I am of course running a bit behind, but I am well ahead of the Friday cut off.....so here goes.

What is your name, blog name and URL?

Julie from A Beautiful Day, http://jules-beautifulday.blogspot.com

When and why did you start blogging?

February of 2011.  I, like Nicole, had no idea what I was doing.  I was always intrigued by traditional journaling, but never quite managed to do it consistently.  I had high hopes of doing much better with a blog.  If you have followed for any length of time, you know that I struggle with blogging as well.  And for anyone who may have started following in the last month or so....I am truly sorry!  My absence is RARELY to this extent.  The combination of moving and being short handled at work paired with it being busy season has definitely taken it's toll.  I named my blog after my favorite song of all time: A Beautiful Day by U2.  I can't really explain it, but no matter what is going on, whenever I hear this song it puts a huge smile on my face.

How old were you in 1993?

SERIOUSLY?????  Was this question really necessary?  I am probably old enough to have parented many of you, but I will not be the party pooper - I was 25 ****GASP****

What do you hope to get out of the DFW Bloggers community?

I have already been blessed to have met so many truly wonderful (not to mention beautiful, talented, smart and funny) ladies.  I can only hope to meet more and to strengthen the relationships that I have started.  And I definitely want to know when that tailgate is happening with sweet tea (or vodka) with Nicole.  That cannot be missed!

How much cash is in your wallet right now?

$0.14 - not even enough to make a call if I lost my cell phone.  My mother would NOT be  pleased.

Tell us about the most controversial blog post you’ve published and why it caused such a stir. You gotta share the link too!

I don't think that I have ever written a controversial blog post....but this is the one I am most proud of.  When you see me Saturday you will be - ummm, apparently it hasn't worked yet.  But at an any rate I tend not to do so well under stress - I am the first thing that I let go and there has been a lot of that lately.  I need to put me back at the top of the list .....PRONTO!

Are you a professional bowler?

Not even close, but I was on a bowling league for awhile.  I hope that Nicole meant it when she said that she was bringing extra socks, because if I don't have socks...my feet are not going in those FOOT FUNK shoes....true story!

What is your shoe size?

10

How do you earn money?

I am an account coordinator - which is apparently just a glorified name for "catch all b*itch"....sorry, I almost started to rant.  When I am really lucky I get paid to scrapbook...those times make my heart sing!

What are you wearing at the moment?

Slacks, cami, cardigan and sandals.  It was 70 when I left for work this morning and is now in the 40's - gotta love that TX  weather!

What’s your favorite beverage?

Is it OK if it is alcoholic?  Vodka tonics.  But I also love La Croix sparkling water in Berry.

Do you have kids? If so, how many and how old are they?

Yes.  I was blessed with one 12 year old man child and he truly makes my world go round.

If you were another person, would you be friends with you?

YES!  I can be the mom in a group when I need to be, but trust me ladies, I can party with the best of them.  I am also a great listener and supportive when a friend needs me.

Name 3 goals you have for your blog in 2013.

I want a blog makeover, to post more consistently and find a good balance between everyday life content and sharing my scrapbooking and Project Life

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

I have to agree with Nicole on this one.....how a person treats others - especially people providing services (wait staff, cashiers etc) speaks volumes.

Can you change a flat tire?

Sadly, no.

If you could spend the day with a celebrity, who would it be and why?

Keith Urban....I would love to hear him sing ALL DAY LONG and he seems like a very genuine and kind person (not too bad on the eyes either).  Sorry if that was superficial - I went all junior high!

Which social media site (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.) do you use most?

I have to admit, I am pretty hit or miss on all three.  One thing I do check multiple times a day is Instagram (julesabd).  I am addicted to seeing everyone's pictures.

What are you most looking forward to at the DFW Bloggers’ Spring Meet Up?

Seeing both the familiar and non-familiar faces, great food, fun and fellowship!  Sounds like a great Saturday night to me!  Not to mention, sweet Nicole is doing all the work this time and I am in charge of nothing except to get myself there on time - oh, and to remember my socks!

And there you have it....wow, that took quite awhile!   Way to go big or go home for my first post back in what seems like forever.  I have so many things to post about in the near future, I just hope that I can manage to get it all organized and written.  Hopefully, my blogging hiatus has come to an end, but I am making no promises and if you saw the condition of my new garage you would understand the uncertainty....how did I accumulate so much stuff????

Third Thursday Scrapbook Stories: April 2013

I cannot thank my contributors enough. Without Katie, Megan and Kaeley these last few weeks my little blog would have been nothing but a barren wasteland.  My move has definitely been kicking my rear...although I thought it would be great having the better part of two months to complete a move, I have realized that it has just prolonged what is a horrible chore no matter how you look at it.  On a positive note, the end is definitely in sight.  I have a few more things to get out of my old apartment this weekend, but I am determined to have it emptied and cleaned by the end of the weekend.  The new place is coming along very nicely - things are coming together, but there is still quite a ways to go....hoping to make good progress here as well this weekend and I promise by the first part of next week to share a few photos.  Surprisingly, I haven't lost but a few followers so a huge thank you to those of you that are sticking by me...things will improve - I promise!

And now, let's move on to Katie.  It is that time again - time for:

Katie has just completed a big move herself.  She and her fiance AJ are new transplants to Baton Rouge, LA...moving all the way from Chicago, IL.  Katie manages to capture all events - big or small and her most recent move is no exception!  I am just crazy for this layout documenting their big drive....take it away, Katie!

Wow. I can't believe the last time I was here we were still living in Chicago, and our things were packed up in a truck headed down to Louisiana.

And now here we are, in Louisiana.

Mostly unpacked, getting used to our new surroundings, trying to find a decent nail salon and a grocery store that sells thin cut chicken cutlets.

But before we could get here and get unpacked, we needed to drive.

And I, of course, made a layout about it!

There are two things I love about this layout, you know, besides the story it tells.

I love that I got to use my Cricut Destinations cartridge (above) and I love the stickers that I found in Hobby Lobby (below).

In fact, these stickers inspired the entire layout - I knew I'd document our trip, but I wasn't sure what it would look like until I saw these stickers. But for some reason (I think it was the arrows) I really wanted to make a 2-page layout once I saw them!

What inspires you when you are creating a layout?

First Mondays With Megan: April 2013

Good morning!  April 1st already and a Monday at that.  That means we have the pleasure of hearing from Megan.  Megan has been remodeling her master bath and has finally reached the end. I can't wait for her to share the entire project on her blog, but there is a little teaser at the end of the post and trust me.....it just leaves you wanting more!  Wait till you see the awesome DIY project she did to add some finishing touches to her new bathroom....being a beach lover as well, I am in love!

DIY: Starfish Art

I was on a mission to find some nice seashell artwork for our master bathroom remodel. I found so many lovely prints and 3-d pieces online but the prices were more than I wanted to spend. I really liked these two examples from Joss and Main, each around $150. I knew I could recreate them so got to work last weekend and saved a couple hundreds bucks.

MATERIALS:
- Starfish (various sizes if you prefer)
- 20 x 20 frames
- 16 x 20 sheet of linen paper
- Paintbrushes
- White acrylic paint
- Blue acrylic paint
- Ruler
- Mats for the frames
- Exacto knife
- Tape
- Wax paper
- Hot glue gun

I bought the large white Ribba frames from IKEA months before and set them aside for a project like this. I bought the bag of starfish from Michael's craft store. Instead of using multiple small starfish like the example above, I opted for one large starfish in the middle of the frame.

I thought about leaving the starfish in their natural color, but there is so much white in our bathroom I did not want them to appear dirty or dingy. So I laid a sheet of wax paper down to paint them white. Paint both front and back of the starfish.


Next, get your large sheet of linen paper and paint your background color. I chose to paint the background of the frame the same color as the walls in the bathroom. The frame mat is square so I roughly painted an area for the background to show through. After the paint drys, trim the paper to fit the size of your frame mats and tape the paper to the under side of the mat.



Then, hot glue the starfish to your paper and let cool. Place everything in your frame and get ready to display!