I've Moved!

I've moved sites!  I will no longer be updating this blog.  You can now find all elliebellie handmade news, crafting loves, and Matt and Ellie updates at www.elliebelliehandmade.com.

PLEASE join me over there - I love to share my fun with all of you.

Latest Project

Before our wonderful vacation, I was working on a really fun project for a friend of a friend.  Her baby girl was getting baptized and as a party favor, she was giving each couple a box of gourmet cookies.  She wanted a personalized tag for each box.  What a great idea!  This is what I came up with.

Here is a stack of the tags mid-project.

Another picture mid-project.

Here are two pictures of the finished project.  

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

So Tired

I'm tired.  So very tired.  I know I said the big reveal of elliebellie handmade would be this week.  I apologize that I haven't done that yet.  I left our vacation early because I had a job interview (yay).  I had the interview Monday, got offered the job the same day, and started preparing my classroom on Tuesday.  I've been in the room everyday since then working and working.  I am so thrilled to have a job and am excited to make the switch to first grade!  I'll miss my old school and all of the wonderful friends I've made there but am delighted to be in the same district at another wonderful school.  God is good.

With all that said....thank you for your patience.  The big reveal will come soon...as soon as I come up for air :)

Right Now

listening: to nothing... sometimes that is such a wonderful sound :)
drinking: a iced tea from Coffee Table
wearing: sweats and my Mississippi State sweatshirt
feeling: tired.  I had a long 22 hour day of traveling yesterday. 
weather: hot but cold in here!
wanting: to sleep, watch 17 Again (I know, I'm too old to like it but I LOVE it!!), make crocheted flowers
needing: to unpack and do some paperwork
thinking: about my love...miss you!
enjoying: my couch
wondering: what Isaac will be like the next time we see him.  I miss him so much!  

Vacation

furniture:

reading material:

tour guide:

(i know these photos aren't the best...they were taken with my phone...but that isn't really the point, you know what i mean??)

I've been gone...

Sorry I've been missing a little bit but so much as been going on!  I feel like that is how I start all posts...

Last week I was sick a bit and also was working on an elliebellie handmade project!!  Did I tell you that is the name of my little store that I'm opening?  I worked with a fabulous graphic designer, Sara Barbar, to work on a logo for my new business (eek!!).  I've gotten business cards, a stamp, labels, a banner for my new blog, and my etsy shop.  The big reveal for my new blog and etsy shop will be next week so please look for updates.  I'd love you all to follow me to the next blog site!

Anyway...back to the project... I was hired to make some tags for a friend of a friend.  Her baby is getting baptized and she wanted specialized tags to put on the party favors.  I have a bunch of photos I'll post next week.  It was so much fun and was a milestone for me...it was the first project I've done for someone I didn't know!

This week, Matt and I are in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina with my family.  We flew into Atlanta and stayed with my parents the first night.  I saw this awful craft I made when I was little:

I was in a sewing class (which I am so thankful I took) and made this little beauty for my mom for Mother's Day...poor thing...she probably had no idea what to do with it.  She's a great mom because she has kept it out all of these years.  

I know I've mentioned my sweet nephew, Isaac.  We have had such a great time being with him.  Here he is with Uncle Matt:

Look at those curls!!!

Here he is with Uncle Andy:

I took this picture with my hipstomatic app on my phone.  

We've been sleeping in, lounging at the beach, staring at Isaac, reading, playing games, and eating ice cream.  In other words, it has already been an awesome vacation.  I love being with family!

Felt Circles

Hello and welcome to a new week!  I feel like it is much easier to say that right now because it is summer.  I love teaching but I also love having my own timeline throughout the day and week.  ahh.... summer....  I better soak it up!  Sorry....all you working people probably hate me now.  I'll stop.

I know you've heard me rant and rave before about making your own embellishments and that is what I did for this page.  There are no store bought embellishments here and these are so easy to make.  

I just used Heather Bailey felt (it is the best - brilliant colors and great texture), embroidery floss, and buttons.  Dunzo.  

Renegade Craft Fair

Oh. My. Gosh.  I LOVED it!!  I mentioned in my last post that Matt and I went to the Renegade Craft Fair on Sunday.  It was amazing.  It was so great to be surrounded by such creative people.  I left so inspired and even more excited (if that was possible) to be selling my products.  There were so many wonderful booths, there is no way I can do justice to them all, but I wanted to mention a couple of my favorites.

My favorite paper vender was Sycamore Street Press.  They mostly had letterpress goods, which I love.  Here is a little poster that caught my eye.  If we had a baby, I would own this for sure.  So funny.

I also really liked The Tinted Mint. 

Jenny Wiegley had gorgeous quilts.  Lindy, these are my inspiration!!

I thought these cute little crowns were really fun.  Unfortunately I have no idea who made it but isn't it precious?

Esoterica Bazaar had this beautiful ring set.  hint, hint, Matt :)

I thought this necklace was really cute too.  

Ahhh...so much wonderful goodness out there in the world.  Doesn't your heart feel full???

This Weekend

Matt and I had a really fun weekend.  We were both off of work on Friday so we drove down to San Diego for the day and went to the San Diego Zoo.  Apparently I went when I was little but I have no memory of it so it was a new experience for both of us.  We loved it!  We loved walking around, looking at the animals, and just having the day together.

I'm glad I married a man who makes me laugh so much.

We then went to a local scrapbooking store, Paper Tales, that I had heard all about.  It was AMAZING.  It was the best scrabooking store I've been to.  I felt like everything there was very much my style.  Of course I got a few things.

On Saturday we got to babysit precious Beckett.

We were sad to give her back to her parents.  She is such a good baby!!

On Sunday, Matt went with me to the Renegade Craft Fair.

Once again, another awesome craft experience.  I really think my husband should win some kind of award .... two crafting outings this weekend!

We also saw Inception.  It was really good but a lot of it was over my head.  I think I'll need a round 2 to really get it.  

That's all for now!  What did you all do this weekend?

Paper Folding

Here is another page from Kala's book.

I really liked this page because of the paper strips.  For each strip, I cut long pieces of paper that were 1 inch thick.  I folded each strip then sewed the whole thing to hold the folds.

It was a bit time consuming but I really like the end result.  I also LOVE any type of craft that I can zone out and do while watching TV.  I think I watched season 1 and much of season 2 of Grey's Anatomy (again) while making Kala's book.

I've mentioned before that my sister-in-law, Val, is having a baby boy in October.  They are naming him Sam :)  Anyway, I am now working on a book for her that I need to finish in 2 weeks.  I'll be busy over here!  It's already cute and boy and vintage .... yum.  As soon as it is done and in Val's hands, I'll share it here.

Butterflies Galore

It seems like everywhere you look in the scrapbooking world people are embracing butterflies.  I was never too into them before but am now a convert.  I think they are sweet, whimsical, romantic, and beautiful.  Here are two more pages from Kala's book that have a plethora of butterflies.

I used this punch for all of the butterflies.  

Have a wonderful Monday!  :)

More of Kala's Book

I know it feels like I've been posting pages from Kala's book for forever.....

....but they are going to keep on coming!!  As you've probably noticed, I used green, teal, and yellow throughout the whole book.  There are plenty of flowers,

butterflies,

mists, 

and felt.  

I love it when all of my favorites wind up in one project.  I did make all of the embellies.  I always think that's the best because they turn out the exact color and size you want them.  

Right Now

I've mentioned before that I love this blog.  It is on my list of ones I check every.single.day.  She is so talented and I am always inspired by what she creates.  She does something on her blog called "currents".  It is a list of what she is currently into.  I thought I'd try it out!


listening: to Mike Birbiglia (Mike Bahooskie!)
drinking: a grande iced vanilla americano with half and half
wearing: pjs
feeling: free....it's the summer school weekend!
weather: hot
wanting: this stamp
needing: to do laundry
thinking: about my business cards - I can't wait to get them!!
enjoying: the summer....Sellie is happy
wondering: if I'll do a post like this again

More Burpies

I have more burpies to share!  My friend hired me to make four burpies as a baby gift for her friend's baby girl.  We decided to put a little buggy in the bottom corner instead of a bird.  I think they turned out so cute and girlie.

I had extra fabric left over so I made a little gift tag to match.  

Thanks for reading!!

Cape Cod

Hello everyone!  I haven't posted in a week because Matt and I were in Cape Cod with his family.  We had an awesome time, fell in love with Martha's Vineyard, would love to stay here sometime, ate more ice cream than ever, had wonderful time with family....all in all it was a great vacation.

I will post pictures soon but wanted to post another couple of pages from Kala's book.

I'll be back soon with Cape Cod pictures!  

New Letterpress Goodness

Before I get to the letterpress projects, here is my latest layout.  A few nights ago I stayed up until 2:30 am crafting away.  Here is one of the projects I made.

I love this picture of Matt.  We were in Maui on Easter Sunday and decided to go to church before hitting the beach.  It was our first day there so we were dying to start our vacation. 

I made two different letterpress cards.  It has taken a little bit of work to figure out how to use my wonderful machine but I LOVE it now.  It's super easy to use once you figure it out and now my head is swimming with ideas of all sorts of projects.  If you want any cards made, let me know!

 

Sorry for the annoying shadows on the cards.  I'm still trying to figure out what atmosphere is best for taking pictures.  

Enjoy your weekend...it's almost here!  

Happy Anniversary to Us {one day late}

Four years ago yesterday, on a VERY hot day, Matt and I stood before our friends and family and vowed to love, honor, cherish, and respect one another for the rest of our days.  It was such a beautiful, wonderful day - the best day of my life.

Matt, thank you for four wonderful years of marriage.  I'm so happy I get to spend my life with you.  I love you!

Thoughts of a Scrapbooker

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, life.love.paper., and was inspired by her entry.  She was talking about how oftentimes, as a scrapbooker, she feels the need to defend herself and her hobby.  That is how I feel exactly!

Every time I tell someone that I scrapbook, I feel like I have to explain myself - explain that I love making things with paper, that it really is cool, that I'm not wasting my time or money....

Why do I do this?  I know other people think this is a dorky hobby.  I know other people think it is for people with no social lives.  But I don't need to worry what other people think about this hobby.  Bottom line, it is fun, it is such a source of joy for me, it is a way to document our memories for our Matt and I and for our future children, and it makes me feel good to make pretty things.  Do I need to have another reason?  I think not.  :)