Dream In Color

Days Are The Sunniest, Jokes Are The Funniest, Everywhere I Go...

hello my friends!

just popping in to post some new challenges for this weekend...even though i haven't finished mine from last week (but i'm working on them tonight!):

1. create a CONFESSION page.

2. create a layout about what you are thankful for at this time in your life.

3. use embellishments to create a shape on the LO (ex: heart, arrow, circle, etc)

4. use a traditionally non scrapbook item as an embellishment (ex: staples, masking tape, safety pin, etc)

5. in honor of the holidays, create a LO telling someone you love something(s) you've been wanting to tell them but haven't taken the time.

ok, girls...i think that some of these may be SUPER challenging. BUT i won't be posting challenges next week since it's thanksgiving (AND I'M GOING HOME TO SEE MY OHIO FAMILY!) so you really have 2 weeks with these ones.

let me know if you have any questions and make sure you post your links...i've been loving the ones you've shared so far! and i'm so sorry about the mix up with the e-mails last week. there were a few people that didn't receive them, so we decided that it would just be better to make them available on my blog.

i also wanted to share amy's new scrapbook blog: CREATE. she has been helping me come up with the challenges and will maybe be doing some of the posts so i wanted to make sure everyone is properly introduced. she is also going to start helping with choosing and posting some of the pages you share hopefully after the holidays when things aren't so crazy so please don't think i forgot!

and one last thing...i created a new photo album along the left sidebar that is called challenges...and each layout that i've done has the challenge with it so that if you ever want to go back and catch up you don't have to search my entire blog. they aren't really in the correct order though, sorry!

happy creating everyone!

xo, C

Happy Little Funness...

so i'm super excited to be able to share that there was an announcement over on 2peas for a new digital design team.

and i'm on it. :)

i'm so so pumped to start designing and learning more about the digital side of scrapbooking...although i will still be a hybrid scrapper (and can't see that ever changing) i will be printing and editing more of my page elements and mixing up my scrapbooking some.

here is a list of all the girls on the new team...along with their peanames. so excited to be working with these girls!

Alice Wertz : Alice W

Audrey Neal : aneal

Barb Hogan : Barb Hogan

Christie Jurgens : chrispy_314

Christina Smith : soaring2him

Jennifer Hignite : mom2dylanNdrew

Holly Koenigsfeld : Holly Koenigsfeld

Iara Gomes-Bae : baersgarten

Janelle Miller : janellemllr

Karen Cole : coley k

Kathy Racoosin : kathyrac

Kerry Stewart : Busy.Butterfly

Lucy Abrams : Lucy Abrams

Mary Jo Arthur : mj.johnston

Mary Rogers : SuperiorPea

Cheryl Manz Ametewee : Cheryl Manz Ametewee

Nicole LeBlanc : NicoleLeBlanc

Raven Edwards : flossiemae

Vanessa Matthyssen : Maithe

Wilna Furstenberg : Wilna

and that's all i got for now...but i'll post new challenges tomorrow!

Challenging? She Scoffed. Then Laughed...

ok, so the first set of challenges went out friday afternoon. so super excited to see what everyone comes up with. i'm working on mine as well...got a little nap in this afternoon after my brother and his wife went home and now i'm ready to rock!

here is the e-mail i sent out explaining everything and including the challenges. (i actually did one during the week so that i for sure at least completed one):

i am so so excited to send out the first batch of challenges...hopefully the first of many. i will definitely try to maybe get them out on thursdays from now on, but as i said on my blog my brother and his family are here for the weekend so things are kinda crazy around here.

what we have decided to do (for now, at least, we'll see how it works out!) is to post the challenges on my blog and then have everyone post links to your blogs or online galleries of completed challenges in the comments so we can all check them out (feel free to post throughout the week). i'd love to see what you all come up with and i'm going to try to each week post a layout or 2 that i really liked that you guys did (make sure you tell me if you would rather i not post your layout.) and if it seems like this isn't the best plan, we'll try something else next week. just bear with me and i'll try to keep you in the know about what's going on! :)

Also, we decided to do 5 challenges per week so that it's not too overwhelming. (i'd love feedback on whether you'd like more than that from now on.)

and with that, here are the challenges amy and i came up with for our as of yet unnamed group:
1. scraplift a page that you did over a year ago.
2. use only black, white, and one accent color on layout.

3. create a project/layout altering your embellishments in some way.

(i used the sande krieger home is where the heart is  digital kit from 2peas and changed it up a little in photoshop before printing and altering it some more with my scrapping supplies.)

4. create a LO using only circles (other than the photo itself).

i erased the name off...because it's a secret. ;) this one was a fun one to do, not my favorite though.

 

5. create a LO using song lyrics as title.

my sister in law erica took this photo outside our apartment this past weekend. love it so much. i blurred out lb's face so that i could share here. journaling is about how much i love the idea of starting small and growing together as a couple and family. :) lyrics by all american rejects.

have fun! :)

Party Like Us Rock Stars...

ok, so this is probably the first time i've ever posted more than one post in a day...usually i'm doing good to get 2 in a WEEK, so what a treat, right? ;)

but i wanted to announce something fun i've decided to start...

so since my friends and i love to do scrap challenges,  amy and tara and i decided yesterday to do a sunday crop and it was so fun that we want to invite anyone else along that would like to play when you can. we are going to try to make it a regular weekend-ender with challenges and fun chats and maybe one day even some prizes if enough people are interested. i actually posted about it on facebook last night and we had a couple other girls join us in on the fun already. all you have to do is send me an e-mail with SUNDAY CROPPERS in the subject line and i'll add you to the list of people to receive the e-mail with the challenges each week. and if we get enough people interested we will start a facebook page for chatting and uploading completed layouts throughout the next week. we will try to come up with the challenges at the end of the week & sent by saturday morning in case anyone wants to get started on them earlier in the weekend.

with that being said, this weekend i probably won't be able to do as much as yesterday since i'll be having family here but amy is going to help me out with all of this, so she should be around. and i'll definitely send out an email with challenges for everyone. hopefully i'll even be able to get at least a couple pages done for the challenges...i just don't want to promise and then be too tired from the weekend fun. maybe i can just post a couple favorites that others did using the challenges though. 

and finally, before i share this past weekend's challenges & layouts...i just wanted to say that these challenges are nothing crazy or hard...we basically just like to have a little prompt to get us started and inspired and then you can take it anywhere you want.

because this definitely isn't rocket scrapping...

THE CHALLENGES:

1. use only scraps of papers and embellishments that you have lying around.

2. put together a layout using a color combo you think is striking & funky & fun.

3. use an entire pack of embellishments on 1 layout.

4. create a layout using a white background sheet.

5. scrap a place in your house that is special to you.

6. sewing (machine or hand), colors: teal, red and limey green.

7. create a page that starts at the top of the page and is slanted.

and that's all i've got for today! don't forget to e-mail me if you want to play along! :)

xo, C

I Doubt I Dreamed It Could Be So Amazing...

ok, so first off...in response to my last post:

1. yes, i would love to make and sell anyone necklaces like the one i posted. until supplies run out, at least. e-mail me at n.c.ametewee@gmail.com for details. and if you already have, please know that i was super sick this past week, but definitely plan on getting some sent out very soon since i'm feeling much better now.

2. thanks for the support on the design team end. i did get quite a few offers to do guest designer spots from my previous post, but i'm still holding out hope for a couple of actual design teams. if anyone hears of anything coming up, i'd love it if you passed it along. i don't exactly know what all is going on in the industry like i used to. i just can't seem to find the time to read all the message boards. 1 year olds do that to you i guess. :)

moving onto funner topics...this weekend we went to the balitmore zoo. it was so so amazing...if you are ok with going to a zoo that doesn't have many animals but lots of walking, that is. it was like a huge park where you came up on animals every once in awhile. i loved it because the leaves were still gorgeous, which meant lots of photo ops, nate loved the african animals, and lb just loved it all. he was so excited about the animals he could barely contain himself. he kept screaming at them and everyone around pointing and saying "hi!" over and over. his favorites were the penguins and he was pretty ticked when we finally pulled him away. love that. :)

 

here is my love...who happens to hate photos but (sometimes) suffers through...mostly i just have to catch him off guard though. like this photo...where i had to pretend to tie my shoe:

and here is a family shot that we had someone take. londer-britches was way too busy checking out the cheetah behind us to bother with photos, and i look more like i have a pizza box in my stomach than a baby, but i love it anyways...

and speaking of bellies, nate took this shot of me earlier that morning. although he almost refused because he thought that i looked so ridiculous wearing lb's bowtie from our wedding. :D

speaking of being preggers...i have been feeling much better lately. and by that i don't really mean great...but the pain isn't all consuming anymore. which i'm hoping means she moved and is no longer lying in that horrible upside down position. either way, i'm happy for at least a little break. i kept telling nate over and over on saturday how amazing it was to be able to just enjoy myself at the zoo without constantly having to stop and breathe through the worst of the excruciating pain. trying to be more thankful for the good days.

and that comes JUST in time because some of my very very favorite people in the world are coming this weekend! my brother chris' family is planning on coming up thursday and staying through sunday...which means lots of fun city adventures and photos. so so pumped to see family again. i'll no doubt cry alot and be an utterly emotional, pregnant wreck. hurray for hormones.

and with that i'm going to start a new post about a new fun scrapbook project we started this past weekend. :)

Move Your Body Girl...

ok, so first of all, i made this fun little piece of jewelry today. i was getting lb's morning bottle ready when he woke up  and was staring tiredly at this little shelf by our sink when the idea hit me that the little thread spools that i made to go in the jars would look super super cool as necklaces. (little people were found in the junk cupboards left by the older lady that owned my little house in ohio before i did. SO in love with them.) i immediately woke up, super excited and got to work as soon as londerpants was full and good to go...

and this is what i ended up with.

(please excuse the fact that i didn't shower and still have on only yesterday's makeup in this photo...i was too busy making art to get clean try to look good.)

i obviously switched the fabric on this one and added buttons, but i am also working on one that looks more vintage like the ones in the jars...but with a little added something something. i'll share that soon, hopefully, but i have to wait till nate is home and feeling like taking photos again, as we only have 2 mirrors in our house and they are both little ones above the sinks. therefore, no cool mirror shots of jewelry for this girl. soon though, we will join the rest of the world and give in and buy a mirror. sometimes i think that it might be best that i can't see anything other than my head, but then i go out and catch a glimpse of myself in a store mirror and wonder how the heck nate ever let me leave the house like that.

speaking of making art...i'm super excited for my sister-in-law sara, who has started her own etsy shop, tanglewood treasures, selling little girl's hair bows and hats and baby nuk holders. she sent lb 2 foofoo holders that hold way way better the ones from target that we bought and i cannot WAIT to buy these 2 for baby girl ametewee (and maybe mama will buy some for herself too!;D). not to mention how gorgeous are those little models? i just want to eat them. miss them so much!

in other artsy/everyday news, i am so so excited this evening to be planning a trip to georgetown down in DC for tomorrow. anthropologie, paper stores, bead shops, vintage boutiques, antique stores and yummy restaurants. i'm hoping to come home super inspired and not too tired...although i'm pretty sure the latter is an impossibility. but i'm praying for a relatively pain-free day since there isn't supposed to be rain. it's supposed to be 65 and cloudy...so i'm thinking lots and lots of photos! :)

i'm really really trying to do a little art each day and hopefully at some point maybe get back on some design teams. i a little bit feel like i'm old news in the scrapbook industry, but maybe i'll find someone that would want me to work with them...i just have to figure out how to go about selling myself again. i used to be good at it, if the design teams i was on were any indication, but life got in the way and i got out of it for awhile. crossing my fingers for some new opportunities!

and with that, i'm off to hang with his royal londerpants...who is in rare form tonight, emptying out every drawer and cupboard he can reach. i'm considering selling HIM on etsy.

p.s. what websites inspire you? when i got my new computer i lost all my blog links so i'm on a search for a new list. kinda fun finding new inspiration. here's a few that i've been loving:

sassafrass lass

martha b.

erin terrell clarkson

becky novacek

ginger grace

please send me links you love!

If You Wanna Sing Out, Sing Out...

so time has been going at a crazy mixed pace of fast-forward and slow motion around the ametewee household. it just seems like the days fly by but the weeks never end. on one hand, mr. londerpants is growing and changing way too quickly, but the pain from the pregnancy keeps the due date seemingly far far in the future. speaking of his majesty, LB, i've been doing lots of sleeping these days, which has left him and his daddy tons of time together...which just happens to be their favorite thing. if nate does it, london wants to do it too...from sitting on the couch watching tv, to brushing his teeth, to just laughing at something. it absolutely melts my heart to see lb crawling along behind nate everywhere he goes, and nate patiently walking slowly to give him time to catch up, explaining how things work all the way. and when his daddy leaves for work each day you would think that his little heart was being shattered in a million pieces. he cries and cries and stands at the window watching for nate. it is just absolutely the sweetest thing. my two men, best best buddies...my dream come true.

everyday i thank God for the blessing that is my family.

speaking of family...we went in for a sonogram last week and i am so so excited to say that we are for sure having a little GIRL!! the midwife that did the exam was unable to see much else when we were in there (she got NO photos worth printing really...as you can see on the attached layout, which is of her feet) because our little princess was moving like crazy, but she was able to see with absolute certainty that there will soon be a little girl joining us. i cried when she told us and nate is so excited too. he says he's so glad that i'll have someone to do stuff with while him and londerpants are off at the park playing....which effectively melted my heart all over again for the millionth time since i met him. (even though i'm pretty sure that he's going to want to take this newest PINK addition right along with them.)

as for me, i am still struggling with the added pain that this pregnancy has brought on, but the doctors said that she is lying in a way that causes added pain for a normal healthy mom, and that at any time she could switch positions and the pain could ease up. in the meantime, we just have to make sure that we are not out for too long or the pain will overwhelm me. i've also been TRYING to not hold LB as much, but if you met that ornery, super squishy kid you would understand how hard that is for me. overall, though...i have to say that i still love being pregnant. it is just the most amazing feeling in the world and i would take the pain anyday to feel this connection with my child. i cherish every second of it.

here's a couple photos of me nate snapped quick last friday...i don't have nearly as many as the last time, considering i made amy take photos almost every week when i was preggers with LB, but it kinda makes these more special to me:

(and yes, i'm 100% aware that my hair is a disaster area right now, but i'm trying to get back to my normal colors and get some length. we'll see how long it lasts)

and other than that, i don't really have too much to share. i just work on my scrapbooking and some fun projects i've been putting together and hanging with my 2 favorite guys. (by the way, i load photos of LB onto facebook pretty often...we have decided for personal reasons not to post new photos for the time being.)

i'll leave you with one more page for our wedding album...the guests:

goodnight friends!

Welcome To The Good Life...

 just a quick share of this layout i did a few days ago...

i just love this man. sometimes i sit back and wonder how someone like me ended up with someone like him...and right at a time in my life when i never expected it but needed him the most.

he makes my days happier and my heart so so full.

Hello World, Hear The Song That We're Singing...

let me just start by saying, hello: my name is cheryl and i really have nothing interesting going on in my life right now. mostly my time is filled with cooking, cleaning, LBing, wifing and doing art. (yes, i do realize that laundry was left out of that list...not because i don't do laundry, but because i hate it so much that i didn't feel it deserved to be on there.) and you know what? i kinda feel like my life is pretty amazing. probably because i live with 2 of the coolest guys that have ever lived AND get to call them my own and keep them forever.

what hasn't been so amazing is the pain that has accompanied this 2nd pregnancy the last few weeks. i have been doing way more than my share of laying on heating pads, sleeping and the worst: whining to my husband...who has been so amazingly supportive about it all. have i mentioned lately how much i adore him? anyways, we have an appointment next friday with a new doctor, so we'll see what she thinks can be done. it's always scary switching doctors with my medical background. i worry that they won't grasp the full extent of my injuries, that they will think i'm exaggerating the pain, etc etc. but i'm trying to be optimistic about it and i'm really hoping that she will be every bit as good as the one i had for LB. in the meantime i made a list for myself on the to-do list on our fridge and i read it a hundred times a day as a reminder to not let it overwhelm me. it doesn't always work, but it sometimes helps. and i'm not going to lie, despite all the pain, i still say that being pregnant is the most amazing feeling in the entire world...

in other news, nate has helped me set up an art area in our main room, complete with a high 8 foot ikea art table that LB won't be able to reach for a long time and my old comfy/high chair from art school. i just LOVE it. i was going to wait to show photos until it was totally completed and organized, but then i decided that i would probably always have something i wanted to change, so i'll just show it again if i make additions. i would like to mention, however, that the wire hanging from the wall is not going to stay that way for long. it's a photo wire that i got from ikea that our lame paper-thin apartment walls won't support. we have plans for it though...just you wait and see.

 

here's a little closer-up shot of the business side of it all...the pinwheels are going to be moved into our bedroom soon but for now they are way up there so that LB doesn't poke his eye out with them. also, notice...in very un-cheryllike fashion i have learned to decorate with plain white walls. kinda fun.
 

and here is a closer up of the art. the thing that i made of my parents and LB is actually a jewelry holder from forever 21, and the little book beside it was a gift i gave to nate the night before our wedding. (you can see it close-up and the inside here.)

in tragic ametewee news, our brand new external harddrive seems to have died. devastating to me because all the photos i have taken in the past 10 years or so were just transferred onto it. i am praying so so hard that someone, somehow will be able to retrieve them for me. we are hoping that the warranty covers this sort of thing, especially because it was so new that i hadn't even backed it up yet. nate thinks that it can be fixed, but i panic a little everytime i think about it.

as a direct result, however, i've been making more cards. i have a few photos printed both from the wedding and everyday life, and i realize that alot of them are online somewhere or on friends' computers, but i don't really have that liberating feeling when i go to create that i might just find the exact photo that inspires me at that moment. which brings me back to cards. something i'm not that great at, but i have been attempting more and more lately. a little bit in an effort to get all my wedding thank-yous out before the next century, and  a little due to the photo tragedy. and although i don't usually photograph them, i did remember to take a couple shots of this simple one i did for my grandma. i was attempting at ruffles, but i don't think that they are normally stapled so i'm going to go ahead and call it a fail. she'll love it though.

and i leave you with a link to the most amazing new show ever. it just premiered tonight and it follows the buyer for anthropologie around the world hunting flea markets for cool anthro worthy stuff. i want to be him. well, i want to be me with his job. the show is called man travels globe and is on the sundance channel. i had to stop halfway in because i found myself coveting his job so much i thought i might die. i'll have to finish it later when i'm feeling less of a jealous spirit in me.

and with that i'd like to just say goodnight, gentle readers, and thank you for reading my latest book about nothing...

ArtMail...

ARTMAIL (noun)...cheryl word for when i send my friends e-mails full of art. and since i don't have a better title, that's what i'll call this post. because it's all just about more wedding layouts.

let me just preface this by saying that i have clearly not mastered the art of photographing my layouts. pointers VERY welcome.

 

 and two quick non-wedding ones...i'm really loving this new, simpler style of scrapping. it's still bright and colorful and cherylish, but it just doesn't take as long. 

 

and with that i'm off to grab me some london love. i can hear him talking and laughing in his crib so i'm pretty sure nap-time is officially over.