sweet story {good idea}

Each year for Valentine's Day, I try to make something very special for my significant other...whether it be a card, book or just a journal. I thought I would share a quick story with you...and it will explain what I am going to do this year. Maybe it will inspire you too:

Two years ago on Vanlentines Day, Nate and I were very busy...but he wanted us to have a nice evening out. Dinner and driving around looking at dream homes (we love to do that). He looked up a bunch of Italian resturaunts and started calling to make a reservation. He found that so many were already booked up! He begain calling the next one...he thought it sounded familiar but could not figure out why. They answered the phone - "Sbarro's, how can I help you?" He of course replied..."Can I make a reservation for 2?" The lady on the line began to giggle and said "Sir- are you serious? We are food court resturaunt". He was so embarressed and figured out why it sounded so familiar! He shared that story that evening with me...AFTER our nice italian dinner at a resturaunt in Dayton he was able to book(I cant remember the name). I laughed so hard I cried of course, and whenever I think of that story...it makes me smile.

So this year, I plan to make a book of all the sweet and funny things he has done to make me laugh. I challenge you to think of an ASPECT of your SIGNIFICANT other or friend that you can highlight. Make them feel good about themselves and remind them what you love about them!

{problem solved}

A few glimpses of some delicious new items at the shop. vintage pieced pins are too lovely to pass up. place on your coat or a favorite hat.

too too cute
Scarves with some style.
Unique one of a kind pieces that are sure to steal the show on these chilly days.

okay... so here was the problem. we have a new puppy.

his name is Bailey and he is a Great Pyrenees. so basically he is bigger than Chance our lab.

he is only 6 months old.

ISSUES:

1. he can jump over the baby gate i lean against the doorway in the kitchen

2. I raised the gate and this stopped him. but now it is so very high.

3. normally i can still hop over it. but not when i am sore from the gym

4. and not with HOT soup in my hand

so you can guess that i burnt myself and decided i need a new solution.

we dug through our storage garage and found a door that could be used. it is a very lovely mustard color and has that perfect vintage distress! Nate trimmed down each edge by one inch and made the old hinges work. he removed the old piece of tin that was covering the opening.

ta-da. perfect new door that looks soooooo much better than a

baby gate leaned against the doorway.

plus it still leaves the kitchen "open". i was fearful it would close it in.. but it didn't, and we can even pass

things through the opening.

plus..no more dogs jumping through

and no more acrobatic soup spills. everyone wins

{hello}

it seems like forever since I have posted...oh wait, that's because it has been! we have so many new things to share. so here goes

more and more vintage items have been showing up in the shop. they are just waiting for a new home. i love this old typewriter. wouldn't it be lovely on a side table with a love letter or family picture displayed?

ball fringe trims... look great on almost anything!

vintage jewelry. isn't valentines day coming up?

handmade labels for your pages

many new classes are gracing our schedule.

check out this single page layout being taught on

Jan 22 here at the shop.

cards cards and more cards. we are teaching 2 classes each month .

having handmade cards on hand is not only great in a pinch,

but everyone loves to receive the them!

5 styles of large "papers". maps, cakes and more. used to frame, wrap gifts, etc.

so many new things...old and new.

vintage lace wall. once its gone...its gone!

peppermint chews. an indescribable treat. {oh so yummy}

a day for me {us}

a day for me.... well actually a day for us. the sweet little notepad below is my inspiration for this post. when i saw it yesterday at anthropologie i just couldn't pass it up. the kraft paper is such a trend right now and i decided to do a small journal/scrapbook about all the "days i take just for myself" and what i do on those days. yesterday my mom, sister and i all went to cinci for a few appointments and made a shopping day of it. what a blast!

we visited so many of our favorites, it was almost too good to be true: anthropologie, pottery barn, west elm, restoration hardware, tj maxx, ikea

i finally caved and splurged on this candle i have loved for a long time at anthropologie. the lid is very ornate and the soft pink etched glass is dreamy. not to mention the scent, there are no words for how lovely this candle smells. heavenly. i also couldn't pass up these great turquoise knobs. i don't even know what piece i can use them for, but they called to me.

couldn't help ourselves at Restoration Hardware. this amazing little basket is soon to be my tool basket for my scrap studio. the 3 section basket can move around to whatever suits you best. there were 6 or so colors to choose from. i chose celery, mom = pink, and kristyn snatched up the aqua. what a useful find.

decided to paint stripes in my living room ...finally. chose a delicious color called SLATE from Restoration Hardware to add to the existing SILVER SEA background. pictures soon to come.

a must have design book for interior decorating. my favorite part? i love the way it sums up different "styles". with this book's help i now have a name for my style. vintage bohemian.

as promised to beth....i am posting some pics of my funky kitchen and style. sorry it took so long! this piece i love love love. it is the perfect color and size for my kitchen. i have looked a long time for something that would work in there. it now houses my wine glasses and mugs....clearing much needed space for the rest of my dishes.

not the best photo of my couch, but you get the idea. funky yellow floral print with blue accent. it is actually really comfy. also...that yellow bench is from BLOOMSBURY LOFT and has some hilarious history. love things like that. that particular bench was salvaged from a YMCA men's locker room. lots of CLOROX later...perfect.

another view of my new blue piece and kitchen.

what a mess...oh well. anyway i decided some time ago to have things around that make me smile. that explains why i have pendant banners hanging for no particular occasion and my shabby tree is still up.

soon to be striped living room. enjoy. more posts to come....very soon

so sorry. a thousand times sorry.

We are back! It has been a long beautiful summer...in which I have been so busy I have neglected this poor little blog. We are very sorry...but be assured there is more to come and much more often. I have soooo many delicious ideas to post for you from the latest convention. Also the new shop is blossoming with lovely things more and more each day. Come on by, check us out. New items are arriving daily.I do not believe I have ever posted photos of the new shop....

so here you go. A buffet of photos for you to enjoy. Hooray.

Our little nook of specialty items. Full of sweet little pieces just waiting for a home. We now sell delicious lotions, box sets of exquisite cards, frames and many things that are perfect for gifts. We are sooo much more than just a "scrapbook shop". We are an hmmmm...

"ALL THINGS THAT ARE LOVELY SHOP"

We love this little vintage bike. The basket is overflowing with the wonderful assortment of posies made just for you by McMaster and Storm. They are great for cards and layouts.

The front counter. Can you tell we adore striped walls???

Brand NEW trims and ribbons have just arrived. Get them while they are here.

You can even pick up a sweet little gift box perfect for those little items at Christmas or Birthdays. And I have to mention the industrial cart. With his sweet orange exterior, he tries to sneak home with me a lot...but he must stay at the shop. We need him there! We found it at one of my very favorite places....Bloomsbury Loft in Powell Ohio. Check them out.

OOoooh and don't forget, banners are so it right now. We have them available for purchase in the shop. Hang them for your next party, or all the time like me!

By the way, classes are in full force at the shop right now. All of your favorite DESIGNERS for live.love.scrap are back in action and we even have some NEW designers. A designer highlight and classes to come....

More views of the shop. Don't forget CROP on Saturdays. 11 am to midnight with your friends. We have space for 11 and they fill up fast as space is limited.

Wanted to sneak in this little layout photo as a teaser of more to come. I LOVED this at the latest convention. It was by a very talented designer at BASIC GREY. They have so many wonderful lines coming soon...look for them at the shop.

found

wow.

today was a one of those days. frustrating, long, exhausting... but productive. this was the LAST week we had before we turn over the keys to the OLD shop. we had lots of STUFF to move out, and we finally finished! 6 people, 2 trucks and determination. so anyway, what does this have to do with "keep calm and carry on" or the title FOUND? ill tell you:

as I said....today was a doozy. the above saying really meant something on this particular day and i kept repeating it in my head! this is soon to adorn the walls at the new shop, just for a sweet little boost. i fell in love with it when i saw it on the MATILDA JANE sight. love their stuff...check them out by the way.

AND...on to the FOUND part. well the day started early and busy. my dog is sick, and my to do list HUGE. i arranged for a group to meet me at the old shop to start the CLEAN UP. i thought i would arrive early and get some things done, but soon realized that my key was nowhere to be found. i decided to kill some time and went across the street to the car wash to clean Nate's truck. i scrubbed and cleaned the outside and interior...was sweating like a maniac and regretting this "time killing project". i was going to skip cleaning the area under his back seat. it lifts up and is usually stuffed with tools. thought to myself, dont be lazy, just clean it. lifted it up and waaa-laa MY LONG LOST CAMERA! have no idea how it made it under there, but so happy to have it back. long story short....more posts to come and photos. hooray.

a lovely town indeed.

{www.curiousgourmetcupcakes.com}

Nate has been in Nashville for the last few weeks on business {actually Franklin}. I ventured down there to surprise him on his birthday and we had a wonderful time! Franklin is a sweet little historic town filled with everything I LOVE! Brick sidewalks, lovely shops and antique markets, cupcake cafes and delicious restaurants! The best part was the homes in the area, lots of wonderful "cottages" straight out of the pages of country living! We definitely found a place we could move to {it made the list} and I would take any of the houses! More pictures to follow. Still need to find that camera!

{lost}

well...here is the truth. I have not been posting lately because i have misplaced my camera. aaaah. i say misplaced because i refuse to believe it is truly lost yet. hope to find it soon, and in the meanwhile i will post with some "ok" shots from my camera phone. blah!

love love love

quick peek at some recent treasures. i love love love this new shop recently discovered with the help of my sweet friends Darcy & Kara of McMaster&Storm. The shop is called Bloomsbury Loft, and they are AMAZING, very creative ladies... in which we hope to do some upcoming events with!

i do, i do. I DO LOVE THIS. someday it may hold a wedding photo...but for now it holds some other sweet items i cherish. hand crafted by Bloomsbury Loft girls. Check out their blog below {and I am going to figure out how to cleverly link people soon, i promise}

also, this vintage aqua dresser has a new home in my studio, and check out the hand painted canvas to the right. wow, i really love these things {so indulgent i know}

and these sweet vintage books found a place in my heart. they have the cutest images, even polka dot pages. and the stripes on the green one...too cute. {its a recipe book!}

{gypsies}

I have always liked that word. My parents called our family gypsies when we were little because we traveled so much....and I love the scrap company 7gypsies. So, when my mom and I found these cute as ever pendants at the Bloomsbury Loft...we fell in love. So today's topic is PENDANTS! The soon to open new shop will carry our handmade pendant banners.

Hard at work in my studio. What a mess!

Sweet banners filled with my favorite fabrics and delicious vintage appeal.

glass glitter, fabric, and stamping...OH MY

We are getting back into the GROOVE. We hope to see you at the new shop. You are going to LOVE it, we do! Don't miss out on May 9 at 10:00am. GRAND OPENING hooray!

{coming along}

wow, it has been a CRAZY few weeks! we have been working like maniacs to get the new shop ready and it is ALMOST complete! we hope you will join us on MAY 9 at 10:00 a.m. to be the first to see our new location. the early birds will receive an exclusive door buster gift. and everyone will receive a chance to win with purchase. win what you ask? you will see!

more photos coming soon. we just had to take a small breather from blogging, but we will be back soon {and better than ever} once all this crazy store opening settles down.

{make 'n' take}

Take a gander at this cute make 'n' take we did Saturday

at the Spring Retreat!

{a little looksy}

Oh my! We have been extra busy getting the new shop together! I apologize for our absence! New and wonderful things are coming together...and we cant wait for the big reveal on MAY 9! Lots of new items are on the way to be featured at the new shop which will be located at....DRUM ROLL PLEASE.

17 w. Main Street in Fairborn, Ohio!

We are very excited about being a part of the downtown atmosphere. And we know it will be an exciting new journey for all of us! Feel free to call us with any questions you may have, and hurry in to the store... WE ARE HAVING A HUGE WALL to WALL CLEARANCE.

all work and no play

we have been scrubbing, priming, painting and building away! we are all sore and a bit weary, but the new shop is coming along! i am so sorry i do not have more to share right now...but there truly has been ALL work and NO play! soon i will post lovely photos and make the formal announcement of where the move is to. also, don't forget...if you sign up for our spring retreat, we will be taking an exclusive tour of the new location!

{for denee}

thought this would be the easiest way to show you the piece! {and let everyone be jealous...cause you get first pick!} you just let me know what you think...so shabby! here is a closer view of the details of it. love love love it! don't get too upset ladies...denee is on the hunt for that "perfect piece"...if this is not the right fit, you can purchase it at live.love.scrap on April 17 & 18 at our vintage trunk show sale.