40 weeks, and off to the hospital!

I noticed on my phone this morning that I had a call at 5am. That's unusual for me. I don't take calls till after 9 (or 830 if you are a friend or family). Turns out they wanted to reschedule my C-section time. Whoops. But they moved it back to my original time. David came home and we took a couple more pics, and now we're off!

A winner! and a baby date!

And the winner picked by the random number generator is:

Comment #2! By Kelsey!
"My little one isn't born yet, but my favorite baby item so far is the mobile that I'm sewing. I'm sewing little felt animals that are native to this area and it's turning out very cute!"

Kelsey, I bet your mobile is adorable! I'd love to see it when you get it all done! Be sure to click on the contact button to the left to email me to claim your prize!

I agree with Michelle's comment about the minivac; got DH one a year ago, and I'm pretty sure it's his favorite "appliance" - if you can call it that.

And the big news with our family is that we found out baby M is not interested in flipping over (still breech!), so she's scheduled to make her grand appearance on Monday evening via Csection! Wish us luck! I have butterflies in my stomach. Or maybe those are hiccups....

fleur playmat + pillow! and Giveaway!

It's a......... playmat!!! Mine is not as darling as the original with it's cute pink cheeks and eyes, but my Heather Bailey "Pop Garden" fabrics were sooo bright and striking that I had a hard time finding coordinating pieces for my cheeks. Ah, maybe someday, but for now, I love it just how it is. It looks just like a huge beautiful flower.
I had been looking forever for a cute rug for her room. Didn't even cross my mind to make one until I was surfing around on blogs, and this little gem caught my eye! And I thought, "perfect!" It will coordinate, and I have bunches of little scraps to use up for all those gorgeous petals.
If you want to make one, or have someone make one for you, it was a great project, I really enjoyed the whole process, and the talented Leslie of "onegirldesignwrks.blogspot.com" sells the beautiful "fleur playmat + pillow" pattern on Etsy! You just download your .pdf and away you go to the fabric store. I started mine on Friday night and worked on and off on it over the weekend, and it was all done by Monday night. I just couldn't wait.

Thanks again Leslie for such a fun, functional, and pretty project!
(Isn't that face just too cute?!?!)

And just for the fun of it, I think we should have another pcLayers gift card giveaway. I loved reading all your fun comments from the last giveaway, and would love to hear more. How about another chance at $30 to spend on some great digi kits?! Leave me a comment, either just some love, or if you have a kiddo tell me what your favorite baby item is and why. It could be beautiful, useful, frivolous, or just plain weird - but whatever it is I'd like to know!

Drawing will be open till noon MST Saturday March 7th, be sure to check back that night to see if you've won! (Winner will be posted to the blog). Good luck!

Feathering the nest...

Nesting has kicked in (although my friends and family will tell you it's been in full swing for a good ten months or so now), and I felt like posting a teaser pic of something that I've been working on this weekend. I can't wait to get it all finished and show you the final project and give you all the details! Super fun, and really unique!

And on a side note, Dh keeps walking around saying, "why don't you come 'nest' over here, it's messy," since I've been on an organizing kick all day. I'm pretty sure if I redo the baby's closet one more time he's going to sign me up for counseling.

And the winner is!

... Comment #18 by "very blessed" picked by the number generator!

"Mine was that I would have a really really long labour as my mom was in labour with me for 36 hours - thankfully - times have changed and I was only in labour with my boy for about 4 hours - I had a continuous epidural - administered by an absolutely brilliant anaethetist and would recommend it to anyone.

Lots of love and good wishes for you and your gorgeous GIRL - things will go well I am sure!"

~veryblessed

Be sure to EMAIL ME to claim your prize! Click on the "contact" button on the sidebar, or leave me another comment with your email address and info! Congratulations!

Enter to Win! And my 2 biggest fears for l+d

With less than 20 days till my due date I've been thinking about the whole labor and delivery process. And there are two things that top my list of fears, and here they are in order of importance to me:

#1. She will not be a girl. (and I will have to completely redo her uber stylish pink insanely girly bedroom and wardrobe - and my son will come home from the hospital wearing this). I should explain that I have no problem having a baby boy [in fact, I had high hopes of having a mini DH lacrosse player], I thought that's what I was going to have - before I knew. I'm just completely not prepared for one. And if you know me, you know I like to prepare. A LOT).

#2. My epidural won't work - and I have no plan B. (with all the craziness around here the last couple months my prenatal classes consisted of the lamest DVD EVER in the history of lame DVDs, that I checked out from the hospital. I think it was written for fourth graders. But apparently there's a market for that kind of thing now).

Basically those two things top the charts for me. What were/are your biggest fears? On becoming a mother OR father? Leave a comment here on the blog with one or two, and I'll enter you to win a $30 gift card to pcLayers, we'll pick a winner at 12noon MST on Wednesday 02.25.09 by the random number generator so be sure to check back then and see if you've won!

P.S. I love that in the pic above; you can't even tell I just jumped out of the shower and my hair is dripping wet in a towel and I don't have a scrap of makeup on. Yay, for creative cropping.

Bedrest is for the birds.

I've been a busy girl the last couple months. Haven't had too much time for blogging, but have quite a few new pics and tips to post soon. I had lots and lots of nesting and freelance work to get accomplished before the baby comes. But that all came to a screeching halt Wednesday night when I went in to labor and delivery to ask a simple question about seeing spots.

Three hours, some blood tests, and a few other uncomfortable procedures later (I'll spare you the details), I was released on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. And let me tell you, I had no idea how much I liked moving. My instructions are to lie on my left side. In bed. All day. For 21 more days. Right.

But! On the scrapbook side of things, I did get a new camera recently and LOVE it. If you're in the market I've got a good recommendation. I wanted something light, an slr, and that took great photos without me doing a lot of photoshopping. I ended up with a Rebel XSi and two lenses recommended by Ali Edwards: a 50mm 1.4 and a zoom EF 28-105mm. And they are perfect for what I need!

And on a side note; the fabric for the pillow is from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden Bijoux line (Sugar Mallow), and is what I ended up deciding on for the nursery. I just couldn't resist making something that I knew nobody else had for nursery crib bedding. I'll have to post updates on those photos soon too. The great ruffle pillow pattern is a freebie from Sandi Henderson. Yes, ladies and gnetlemen, I have now learned to make button holes!

Halloween Tutu How to!

I don't know if you've seen these super cute tutus around on little girls, but I found some great instructions a while back on YouTube on how to make them, so I've made a few for gifts for friends lately.

I was lacking a model so little Miss Lamb-y volunteered for my photo shoots. She is a trooper. The picture above is of a cute little Halloween version and the pic below shows a shorter smaller tutu for newborns.
I also wanted to link you to this great you tube video (in case you are a visual learner like me). I love the easy way she cuts out all the tulle strips!

It's a.....

GIRL!Hooray for everything pink and frilly!

So, now I'm trying to figure out what I like for the baby's room. And I figured somebody could probably tell me, so I'm setting up a poll on the sidebar for you to vote. ;) Here are the options:

A. Birdie Set

B. Heather Bailey Pop Garden & Bijoux (would be custom made by me)

C. Stripe and Toile set

And here's a couple pictures of the room as it looks right now with the pistachio green paint just for reference (it looks almost exactly like the paint in option "B" above - it's kind of grayed out in the pictures here) - oh and that's the baby sling (hanging on the side of the crib) that I made from some cute Amy Butler fabric:

See Jack's Scrapbook

LOVE this Halloween kit, called "Jack," by Celeste Rockwood Jones! And this Jack Mini Album by Becky Olsen is SOOOO easy to use! I just printed the pages, added my pics (some weren't digi, and the ones that were I printed out), and then punched some holes, added metal rings and tons of cool ribbon. I love that I can keep printing and adding more pages each year too. We don't have tons of Halloween photos every year, but I think this will be a fun way to keep them together and actually look at them all at once!

And if you're looking for a fun digi ribbon freebie that coordinates with Jack for Halloween be sure to click here.

Also be sure to go snag Celeste's awesome new matching word art!!!

Two is company but...

... three is a party! And here's a cute invite.

So I was teasing in my last post that I would always remember what the last thing my great grandmother said to me was, (it was in response to me telling her I was expecting), and she slowly looked me up and down, and said, "well..... you've got a long way to go!" And I laughed because she was right.

So here's the card that we emailed with our u/s pic to family and friends who live far away. We also sent this photo of my mom's face when she opened her birthday present. It was a bib that said "I love grandma" on it and a baby book. She dropped it right out of the picture. But her face was priceless. Click here or on the pic below to download the 4x6 jpeg, and bonus .png file!
Thanks for all your wonderful comments on my last post! You are all too sweet; I can't say how much I enjoy reading all your comments here on the blog and also on the 4shared site.

I'll have to post an u/s photo of "peanut" sometime soon. We had a follow up appt (due to complications with 2 cysts) today, and got to see him/her bouncing all around (thanks to me drinking a bunch of OJ right before)! So fun! Good news; the baby is now officially bigger than the cysts, and the cysts are FINALLY getting a little bit smaller! And the ultrasound tech wouldn't even guess at the gender yet since Peanut was being modest and covering all the important details with a hand. 15 weeks 2 days, and counting...... Maybe I will get to find out for a halloween present?
PS if you are looking for the Halloween Freebie mentioned on KimB's blog they are here! Be sure to stop by her blog for a cute free template for this card!
mini kit
QP
glitter alpha

Free School Template!

I wanted to post a template that you can use on Jessie's pcLayers challenge this week. So I made a layered photoshop file that you can use with any of your favorite kits to make a cute, fast and fun page. Click here or on the preview picture below to download!

And in bittersweet news, I also wanted to post a photo of my beautiful Great Grandmother who just recently passed away. We will miss her! I don't think her sense of humor and good nature at 100 years of age could be matched; and I will especially miss her telling me not to "buy out the store" whenever I pick my mom up to go shopping. She'd sigh, and say, "I really do miss shopping." I can still remember the last thing she said to me.....but that is news that will just have to wait for a future post. :)

I will have to scan some of the photos of the beauty school she started when she was in TX. They are fun to look at and wonder where all those beautiful young women ended up and what their lives were like. I'll also have to post the page I made of her for this project as a freebie sometime. I don't think it's made it to the blog yet.

Freebie! Cute Back to School Word Art Sets

I've got a new kit out at pcLayers called Teacher's Pet, it's great for all kinds of back to school pages! There's a ton of great stuff packed in there, all kinds of digital stickers, some great splatter brushes, some chalk brushes, and of course, fun paper! Not to mention the tags and ribbon, along with some fun crinkle paper overlays.
I had so much fun making it that I could't resist making some more word art just for fun. Yay for free stuff! The first one you can find right here on my blog, and the second one can be found at the pcLayers blog along with a fun new challenge that Jessie is hosting on the site.

Don't forget to stop by the pcLayers blog to pick up this freebie too!

New favorite artist - Elle

So, I've been wanting to show you some fun illustrations by a super talented friend of mine, who also happens to be my youngest sil, Elle. She doesn't have a blog, but I had to show them off because they are so vintage and fun. Don't you think she should sell prints?! I want some for my house. Actually, I also want that red sofa. Don't you love the little cupcake picture?!

And I also have a fun freebie for you. It's a continuation of my planned template series from so long ago! Click here or on the pic below to download this layered photoshop (either elements or CS) template. Made from the "Reef" digital scrapbooking kit by 7 Gypsies available at pcLayers.

Update! Elle just started her own blog, take a look and see some more of her fun illustrations! I'm sure she'd be thrilled with a comment too... ;)

I'm back!

Wohoo! Finally. So, I've been SWAMPED with some amazing freelance opportunities. If you are a target or walmart fan then you are in luck in a few months cause I happen to know that there will be some really beautiful product lines coming out soon. I made myself a goal not to blog until I got all 9 lines done (I know!!! sad!), and I finally have.

I can't wait until I can start blogging about it all. But for now, I took some time to reconnect with a few friends, and made this amazingly fun project to hang in my studio. Maybe I can actually finish my studio now and post more pics. We had a blast making them from some of our favorite papers and a few vintage books, and sheet music. All you need is a martha stewart butterfly punch, a shadow box, some glue, and a piece of white paper. Or a friend willing to lend you a piece of white paper. (thanks Lori!).

Freebie - Rue 12 Tag

Tag you're it! Another fun pcLayers scavenger hunt! Be sure to go to all the blogs to get everyone's tags and then drop by the new pcLayers blog to get a great freebie QP, all made from the "Rue 12" digital scrapbooking kit (go buy it soon! it's on sale 'till tomorrow for only $6.36, and this kit is awesome!).
Aly
Becky
Celeste
Indah
Kayla
Lori
Rachel
pcLayers Blog!

A sale. A challenge. A new blog. A freebie!

Wohoo! pcLayers finally has a blog! I'm soooo excited I can't even tell you. Oh, wait, I am. But I'm still really excited. And there's a great freebie hint, hint, wink, wink, from a cute QP that I made of my niece and sil from Deena Rutter's Feelin' Groovy kit, which coincidentally is on sale right now. It's a steal; you should for sure go check them out, there are 6 different kits for $6.36 each! And they are CUTE! Three of my most favorite kits are on sale! But hurry, the sale only lasts till March 6th.
And also be sure to head on over to Method Playground to give their challenge a try! They've got some great prizes too (including pcLayers purse money, and Teresa Collins product)! It's all about hand cutting on your layout; check out their blog for more great details. They've got some WAY cute layouts up already for inspiration.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Well, not really. But I'm sharing a sneak peek of my studio for my Chicago buddy Sara (hi!) who has been requesting photos of my progress! So here we go. I realized that I could probably paint the exact same light I'd bought at Lowe's for my entry with some paint. Oh, but not just any paint. It most definitely HAD to be tiffany blue. I started on this project at the very end of last year, and finally found someone at my favorite Lowe's who could match the color in oil paint. Riverton's Lowes has the most helpful staff ever - yes; I do have a favorite hardware store! And! He took one look at my tiny color sample bag, and said, "oh! not just any blue, yeah no wonder you couldn't find it in a spray paint." Bless him. I love how it turned out, but will warn you if you are considering the endeavor; pick a color that comes in spray paint! It took me 3 days to paint it all by hand with an old sable brush. And yes; it was completely worth it.

Freebie - 3 Cardboard Alphabets!

I've really, really been in the mood for spring, to say the least, and for some reason this morning spring felt like it should be 3 cardboard alphas. I have no idea why, but there you have it. Maybe I think of spring when I smell cardboard and remember all those years as a kid moving (my dad was an Army officer - we moved just about every other summer), and building cardboard castles out in the yard and anywhere we could fit them in the house and crawling all around. Moving's not quite as fun when you get older. ;)

Make sure you check out the Audrey QP sale; it ends next week!

My big surprise....

So I came home from my trip to CHA in California to a huge surprise. My dh had moved ALL our furniture from our old house to our new one! AND decorated and arranged it all (I know that may sound scary, but he knew where I wanted everything - he's been asking for months, and has a good eye). It was the coolest thing to walk into your house and then think you were in the wrong house (it looked like a magazine), and realize it's your house. I am SOOO glad not to still be sleeping on the floor!!! He did an awesome job. He even got flowers for the table which went perfectly with the Red Velvet valentines day cake I hand carried home from a specialty bakery in CA. That cake is just about the reddest thing I've ever seen in my life. I have to include a close up just to show how magnificent it is! Hope you and yours had a great Valentine's Day too!

8 hour work day; 9 hour commute!

Wow! I almost slept in the Thanksgiving Point movie theater last night! Utah was sooo snowed in that I left work at 4pm and didn't get home till just after midnight. THe roads were so bad that they closed a few of them so I couldn't even get to a friend's house, and of course I was running low on gas, so I decided to pull off the freeway (I was only.5 miles away from the nearest exit which happened to have a gas station), 45 minutes later, I still wasn't there! There was a movie theater right by the gas station, so I drove up there next (30 minute drive), and sat and watched movies with all the other stranded people until the roads opened up. I brought in blankets from the car, and some other lady had a sheet set from bed bath and beyond, so she opened that up. And of course everyone is trying to call everyone else so all the phone lines were jammed. And the lights were blinking on and off. Creepy. Oh, and the wind was so strong and the roads so icy that it literally blew my car off the road. That's when I made the decision to hand out in the movie theater. Glad to be home.

Freebie - Brushes for Valentine's Day

A bunch of fun free digital scrapbooking brushes perfect for Valentine's Day! They look especially cute with glittery layer styles over the top. I'll be adding a video tutorial using the Audrey glitter soon to show you just how easy it is! Enjoy!

OH, the drama!

Thanks so much for your comments on my blog about my images not working! Dang free google pages hosting services! I noticed it too *gasp!* right as I had to leave work to go set up for the BYU Illustration Alumni show (YIKES), and I freaked out. I'm such a visual person that the mere thought of my precious blog not having images for the next 4 hours made me cringe! So, many, many, many thanks to dh who was sweet enough to fix it all for me while I was running like a crazy person through Costco (completely in tears, of course) trying to get everything bought and set up for 120+ people coming to the 40+ illustrator reception/show. Whew. It all went well, but oh the insanity factor of trying to be Martha.

PS You should know that in dh's "avatar" on his blog he appears to be the uber rich, Warren Buffet. I assure you that he's not. Otherwise I would have hired a caterer. ;)

Freebie - Audrey Mini Kit Add On

Super cute freebie add ons to your Audrey kit to make it even more "Valentine-y." There's two digital brushes (also saved out as .png files), four curly ribbons, and four full 12x12 inch 300dpi digital papers ready for you to play with!

Hey! Comment #9 "anonymous" with the 2ct emerald ring! You won the drawing by the random number generator! Contact me at nataliemalan(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize!!! Congratulations!

Oh! And this also marks the beginning of our scavenger hunt! Yay! So be sure to check out these great blogs for some more fun Valentines Day digital scrapbooking freebies:
Deena Rutter
Celeste Rockwood-Jones
Becky Olsen
Kayla Lamoreaux
Erin Lynch
Lori Gardner

Wow. What more can I say?

So if you haven't stopped by Celeste's blog lately, you should for sure! She's got a link to her gorgeous freebie chandelier image used in Paper Crafts Magazine! It's to die for on this pretty little card. I especially love the velvety scrunched ribbon on top. But don't forget to scroll down and read about the contest to win a free Audrey kit! There's also another great contest going on here!