Very Virginia

This month over at NoelMignon.com is all about V! She has her very own kit with all her favorites, and will be teaching a companion class with it later this month. You gotta get it!!!!!

Here is a video showing all of the contents of the kit:

Very Virginia from Brittny Lejeune on Vimeo.

Hurry, you don't want to miss out on this one!

The proof!

Yes, here I have actual proof that I am now indeed Mrs. Kvilhaug!



Eric & his parents.



My sister Kate.



Walking down the "aisle"



I hate bridges. I figured marrying him on one really meant something, right?



Vows.



Rings.



Wed.



Kate & Thomas



Mamala & Uncle Thom



The restaurant. AMAZING food!



Me and my cousins Kara and Tori.



Imagine walking into your freshman dorm room to this. Oh great, now I'm the pretty girl's roommate. Good thing she turned out to be a total goober just like me! Love me my Kellie!



Our only picture of us ever kissing. So weird. Love it!



Adam, Eric, Me, Kate.



The cake. Christmas decorations that I ripped apart. Apparently, tasteful wedding toppers are a thing of the past.



Classy as ever.



Party!



It's my turn to take a picture!



Happy.



Let them eat cake!



More cake.



Time to toast.



Tipsy enough that I'm leaning on him...



My ring and bouquet.



We. Are. Married.

Very Virginia

That's right! This month's kit from NoelMignon.com is inspired by our very own Virginia Tillery! Full of lots of goodies with her favorite styles, colors, and textures, you are sure to love this one as much as I do! Be sure to check back in here or over at the inspiration blog to see just exactly what is in this cuter-than-cute kit, because this month I get to make the video!! I can't wait!!

Even trees need skirts.

So I was looking through the Garnet Hill catalog the other day and I saw this and went a little nutso over it. A MUST HAVE, right? Well, no, not for $198. I mean, I don't even own a $198 skirt, and we must draw the line somewhere, mustn't we?

So, I made my own version (sorry for the crappy pictures - I can't figure out what's going on with the camera...)



So, I used that blizzard fleece from JoAnn's (ps: it's 50% off right now!) and made the base in a creamy color. Then I used four big ol brown buttons from my stash to fasten the two sides together.



The poinsettias took surprisingly little time to make - maybe three hours - and then I hot glued them to the base. And I love it!

Now if I could just get some presents wrapped to put on top of it...

Check out the new challenge over at the Noel Mignon Challenge Blog! It's a good one! One I wish I could have been a part of, but I got a hall pass from Noel since I was a little, ehem, preoccupied!

You're definitely not going to want to miss this challenge - one lucky lady will win not one, but TWO Bedford Falls kits. Just link your layout in the comments section over at the challenge blog and be sure to blog or Facebook about it too!

Oh! I almost forgot! I just got word that the wedding photos are in the mail, and as soon as I get them I'll get them up here! Promise!

xoxo

In 30 minutes...

I'm getting married!!!!!!!!!

Change isn't always bad...

This is something that I'm learning. I'm about to have a HUGE change, and I don't just mean my last name, no no. It hits me about 100 times a day that in less than 48 hours I will be Mrs. Kvilhaug. Mrs.???? I mean, does that not sound like the weirdest thing ever? For the record, it's Kuh-vill-ha. See, easy peasy...

Anyway, another change for me is in my scrappy style. Now, I am a hands-on traditional glue and scissors kind of girl. Always have been. BUT the graphic designer in me loves using Photoshop to make up all kinds of things. So, when I was approached by My Memories Suite to try out their new software, I was a little ambivalent. I wasn't excited to scrap digitally, but I am always interested in trying out new creative software.

I am glad that I did.

I would say that on average I use Photoshop once a day, sometimes all day, depending on what I'm doing. And if I want to create a digital page, that's what I would use. BUT I didn't pay for my version, and I would never go out and pay for it, either. $1200 for photo editing software? No thanks. You could purchase Photoshop Elements for what? $60? Meh...

My Memories Suite is available for purchase online, which is nice - no going to the store. It automatically downloads to your computer, so there are no installation disks to keep track of. Next to Photoshop, it's the best program I've seen (and I've seen a few) for digital scrapbooking.

It comes pre-loaded with a ton of papers and embellishments, and they have an online store that is not only inexpensive, but has content available from names you know, like American Crafts and Tinkering Ink. You can buy whole product packs with hundreds of files for $5 - $10. So cheap!

What I'm finding I like a lot about the program too, is that I can plan my pages before I put anything down. If I have 4 photos that I want to use but am not sure about the sizes I want to print them out, I can play around with my page to see exactly how things are going to fit. If I want a particular journaling tag, I can print that out on it's own and slap that onto my layout for a little hybrid action!

Here are a couple of reeeeeallly quick layouts I made using the software.






I can't tell you how many times I moved those two sepia pictures around and resized them until I got them exactly where I wanted them!

I'm excited to play around with this more. It's gonna come is super handy for making up those photo books for the grandparents, especially when there's no time to hand-make multiple copies of the same page so that everyone gets exactly the same thing as everyone else. I think I'll just make up maybe 15 layouts, print out 4 copies of each, and bind them together. VOILA! Instant gift for super cheap.

So, see that little banner on the upper left of the page? Click it and go see what I'm talking about.

Have fun!

If I only had a kid...

Okay moms, break out the piggy banks! This is the cutest children's luggage I have ever seen!



Seriously. A pink Hippo that is not only adorable, it is also and pillow and blanket!! I mean, they just DID NOT have this stuff when I was little...

And I'm so loving the diaper bags for dads! I never imagined a diaper bag with a skull on it, but hey, if he'll carry it then it's totally worth it!

I can't wait for the day that I'll get to buy these things and actually use them. Did you catch that? Yes, that's right, I have brand new teenie tiny white keds in the box, and a crochet beanie that looks like an eggplant (sounds weird, but it's the cutest thing ever) along with a slew of second-hand baby boy clothes a friend gave me. Just sitting there...

Alright, now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

A Headless Chicken Ain't Got Nothin' On Me.

I'm getting married this Saturday, and can I just say that I'm a little frazzled. LOTS to get done, and never enough time. So, head on over to the Noel Mignon Layout Blog to see what I've been working on, because I'm just too lazy to repost it here!

Here's a sneak peek:


While you're there, be sure to check out the latest kit, Bedford Falls, which is amazing!

Happy scrapping!

Playtime

I am having so much fun with my Dear Diary kit (hurry, only 2 left!!) from NoelMignon.com!

I've been getting my studio all set up the last few weeks (slllloooooow process) and I decided that I needed a cute little storage spot for all my kit goodies that is front and center so that I can really focus on using up every little bit of it!


I found this little bin at Target (where the cute things live) and I love it! It's 12 inches wide, so all the papers fit perfectly, and then in front of all the papers come the stickers and packaged embellishments. In front of the box sits two little teacups that all of the ribbons and small embellies call home. My older kits (what's left of them anyway) are stacked behind the current month's paper so that I can easily mix them together. The little sparkly doodah on the front is by Making Memories and oooh la la!!

More goodies to come!

Baby, it's cold outside!

And I only brought flip flops with me! Seriously, I am so dumb sometimes when it comes to the weather and packing. I just think, "Well, it's Fresno, so that means it's always hot." As if I wasn't born and raised here and know just how gross the winters can be, too. But, in my defense, this "winter" hasn't been very wintery, has it? I can't remember a time that I went barefoot outside in November! On the bright side, the heating bill is gonna be super cheap, and I've been able to put off winter clothes shopping because clothes shopping of any kind is my least favorite thing in the world to do. Aside from maybe cleaning cleaning monstrous potato bug carcasses off of the garage floor. Cuz I've had to do that a few times recently, and EEW! Those things should be wiped off the face of Earth. Fo Sho.

In other news, I finally opened my little store at the Palace Courtyard, which I just can't help but call "the merc" as Auntie Weezuh did. It's my little corner of scrappy goodness that you can find lots of page kits, pre-made layouts, open stock paper, greeting cards, gift boxes, hand-made embellies and just general yumminess. For those of you who live in the Fresno area, be sure to check it out! I'm in Victoria Court right before the Red Hatters. I'll be restocking with lots of seasonal goodies very soon!!

Sorry for the crappy pics - all I had was my phone!



And here it is! My mom and I are Queen Crammers. We fit so much into the little postage stamp sized booth I got and wow!



This is the drawer of "By the Yard" with all kinds of vintage spools and lace and tickets. Yum!

More goodies to come!
Happy Saturday!
xoxo

Home Town

Here's another layout using the Dear Diary kit from NoelMignon.com! This one follows the current sketch over at Inspired Blueprints. It's a good one!



Be sure to follow along! Can't wait to see what you create!

New Jenni Bowlin

She's done it again! Here is the latest release from Jenni Bowlin!


New 12x12" papers

New journaling cards

New die cut journaling pad

New calendar bingo cards

Jenni Bowlin for Ranger Ink Pads, Re-fillers, and Paint Daubers!

I got my "Dear Diary" kit from NoelMignon.com the other day and I am in love! It's really my version of happy. This little baby even spurred an all-night scrapfest with me, myself, and I. I couldn't wait to dig in to it's autumnie goodness, and here's what I came up with.



Gotta love that punnum! That's my little cousin, Sydnee. Loving that Jenni Bowlin paint dauber, too. Never made my own patterned paper before. And I'm likin' it!!



Layered a corrugate button, Restoration stickers, Pyrus brad, and those cuter than cute Jillibean pins! I tried to add some extra texture and depth to the photo by brushing the dauber over it. It just makes it look a little fuzzy around the edges, so your eye is drawn into the center.



Of course, there's lots of stitching and lots of vintage photo distress ink in there, too! It just wouldn't be a "me" layout without those!Oh, and lots of foam dots!

So be sure to head on over to noelmignon.com to get your kit today - only 5 left!!

Good Eats.

Looking for a new dining room table? Go take a look-see and see what you can find. I was pessimistic, I have to be honest, but I am blown away! Here at Casa de Kvilhaug we have this bad habit of eating at the coffee table in front of the tv. "Why, do you not have a dining room table?" you ask. Well, yes, we do, but that just doesn't seem to matter. I mean what would we do for the half-hour we'd sit at the table? TALK? Ick, no way! That's just crazy! So I think I've found a compromise.

While I'd love to have this one, I'm thinking this is more along the lines of what Eric wants.

And while I may not be a fan of it's dining function, I'm loving the possible scrappiness that could happen there!

Dear Diary,

Have I ever told you that I've met the kit of my dreams? Well, I have. And this is it.

That's right, it's called Dear Diary and it is so awesome I can't even begin to tell you... So much We R Memory Keepers, Cosmo Cricket, Sassafras, Maya Road, American Crafts and a whole lot more! I'll be designing lots of goodies with this little gem, so be sure to check back for some great ideas. And be sure to head on over to the Noel Mignon shop to pick up your very own - you don't want to miss this one!

Nuts

Thievery of my inlaws walnuts last week was lots of fun! I love having them around in the fall. Even if I never eat one, I just love looking at them.



And yummy fruits and veggies, too. I'm salivating just thinking about them!



All this because we finally have a kitchen to use. And I'm in love with it! I have missed cooking so much and having pretty ingredients laying around certainly doesn't hurt. And did I mention the pantry is almost finished, too? Oh yeah! Pictures soon, I promise!

Also, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who nominated me over at Cosmo Cricket for the Guest Design Team Member for November. It was so exciting to see my name on that little circle of paper, and it wouldn't have happened without you! I didn't get chosen from the pot, but it was really great to make it as far as I did. And next month I'm going for it again!!!

Help a sistah out!

Hey, so Cosmo Cricket is having a contest for a Guest Design Team Member for the month of November and I want the spot! In a bad way. A really really bad way!

So if you have the time, and think I'd be good for the job, head on over to the blog and give a girl a nom!

Here's some fun projects I've made using the ever-fab Cosmo Cricket lines!



















Here's my layout for the latest challenge over at NoelMignon.com. Take a hop over there and check out the rest of the team's work and join in on the challenge!



Materials Used: Anna Griffin Esmerelda paper; Girls' Paperie Alpha Stickers; American Crafts Lullaby Thickers in Charcoal; Jenni Bowlin Butterfly Stickers in Black, Chalkboard Alpha Stickers in Black, Label Stickers in Red Dots; Want 2 Scrap Black Pearls; Making Memories Tiny Alphas Black on White; Best Creation Small Foam Squares.



Have a great day!