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Stephanie Howell

reading, organizing, shopping, momming too close to the sun. Home is wherever the Army sends us.

Happy Place | Scrapbook Layout

Today I want to share a scrapbook layout. Are you guys still creating? I can’t tell if scrapbooking related content is popular or not.

I will keep sharing these pages either way, but I’m just not sure what I should be sharing here. Sometimes this feels like a mom blog, sometimes it feels like a travel or lifestyle blog.

Crafting related posts seem to be the least popular, but I do like having a little bit of everything here!

Anyway…this was definitely a “just for fun” page. One photo, limited journaling (I just shared the date and a bit about why I love my Italian flower shop- and I wrote it on the back).

This page was just for creativity’s sake. I wanted to make something pretty, plain and simple!

I layered vellum, patterned paper, doilies, stickers,and chipboard. I even pulled out the old border punch. Yep, I’m old school. NO silhouette for me.

The gold doily was just too much…so I folded it and used both sides. I liked it a bit more as a white doily with touches of gold!

The Happy Place Chipboard is pretty old. It’s a Dear Lizzy piece I’ve been hoarding for quite some time.

The gold chipboard accents (and the die cut floral piece) are both Market Street by MME.

Let’s chat a bit about scrapbooking in the comments. Do you still scrap? Do you still enjoy craft related posts?

Talk to me!

xoxo

S

Pink Pink PINK! | a Scrapbook Layout

Happy Monday y’all! I’m a happy happy girl because I get to see a certain someone this week. And that certain someone makes me happier than anyone else in the world! 🙂

Only fits that I’d share a happy layout today.

A while back Shimelle asked me to do a pink layout (about myself!) for her website. Pink? No problem. About myself? Uhhhhh.

It turned out being really fun and I loved this page. So glad to finally share it!

 

Journaling | I hear a lot of negativity when it comes to getting older. But I love it. First of all…I’m glad to be here. For the gift of another year. I’m content- I love being in my 30’s. All of the doubt is gone. It’s a beautiful things.

I kind of clustered the heck out of this layout. And I love it. I pretty much went through my stash and grabbed every pink thing I could find. And recently my stash is pretty much all Gossamer Blue kits and MME. I went with Gossamer Blue February kits. Though the layout is not Valentine’s themed, it is about loving myself and my life. So it works!

Supplies | Gossamer Blue February Main Kit , February Life Pages Kit, February Add- On 2 , February Add On Kit #2,  February Life Pages Main Add On, February Life Pages Themed Add On

note: all of those kits are long sold out. however, you can find individual product lists there. 🙂

I hope you have a beautiful, blessed, and HAPPY Monday!

xoxo

S

 

 

Wordless (ish?!?!?) Wednesday

Summer’s here, y’all.

We are officially six days into summer break and I have broken up approximately a zillion fights, retrieved countless balls from the neighbor’s yard, and uttered the words “Find something to do to entertain yourselves!” more times than I can count.

I’ve made goop and I’ve been invited to a tea party. That took place at 7 am. And there was no tea, only four plates of cookies.

We’ve colored, watched Full House, played outside, done watercolors and played with PlayDoh.

And by we, I mean they have done all those things. While I was watching in awe of the fact that they accomplished all of this by 9 am.

And then at 9 am I had the thought that IT WAS ONLY 9 AM. And what in the Jose were we (they) supposed to do now?

Kids, man. Where do they get that manic, frantic, unstoppable energy? I’d kill for just a fraction of it!

We’ve had some good days and some lock-me-in-the-crazy house days. Through all the days I’m determined to hold on tight and remember.

Here’s to a fabulous summer. Let us all not kill one another. Let me not feel the pressure of unattainable Pinterest crafts beating down upon me like the fire of a thousand suns. Let us love one another and just be. Let me not feel envy when I see “magical summer” FB status updates. Let me realize that I’m not the only mom reading those updates whilst watching my children poke each other in the eyes.

Cin Cin and Felice Estate, y’all.

xo

That *Perfect* Summer Cake DIY

Now listen. I know that all of you are scouring the interwebs for a magical summer cake.

Nothing on Pinterest is good enough, amiright? You need perfection. Something that will make you look like the best mom ever.

A homemade five layer cake with ombre icing is NOT good enough.

Are you ready for this?

Have you ever seen such beauty?
Here’s the step by step for this DIY.

1. Buy ice cream cake that says “Happy Birthday”.

2. Rub off “Birthday” with your finger. Make sure to make magical DIY swirls with your finger. This will mimic the waves of summer.

3. Prepare to write “Summer” with gel icing.

4. Realize that tip of gel icing is closed. Since you are at the pool, you will have no scissors. Use teeth. This will give the letters a nice organic, jagged, and authentic feel.

5. Write “summer”. When you get to end of word, realize you are out of room.

6. Contemplate writing

SUM-
MER

7. Say screw it and cram it all on one line.

8. Wait to serve cake until half melted. This will nicely mask the DIY chunks you ate as you were making this masterpiece.

 

VOILA!!!! As I said on Instagram- pin away suckas.

I hope you can handle the amazingness. That’s how I roll.

xo

 

Exploring Italy | Venezia/Venice

Last Friday I decided to surprise Sadie with a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants day trip to Venice.

Harper had just left on a Girl Scouts trip to Naples and I was able to put the littles in hourly care on post.

I realized a couple of things:

1. I’d never been to Venice in the year we’d been here- yeah, i know i know. Not sure how that happened.

2. I’d never taken Sadie anywhere for the entire day- just the two of us.

I set up hourly care for C and L, purchased train tickets, and kept the secret. If you know ANYTHING about me, you know this was excruciating.

On Friday after I dropped C&L off, I turned towards our apartment instead of towards Sadie’s school.
I wouldn’t tell her what was going on until we got to the train station. I think she was suspicious of my intentions and she didn’t seem that impressed. HA!

We bought some croissants, hopped onto the train (it was only a 45 minute train ride!) and hit the road. Tracks? Anyway…

Sadie started to get VERY excited.

When we walked out of the train station we decided to just explore. That’s probably the best thing about living in Italy. Instead of only having a once in a lifetime trip…I can come back whenever I want.

I didn’t have to cram in any must-sees or must-eats…we just wandered. And it was magical.

 

 

Every time we saw a gondola, Sadie begged to take a ride. I knew we were going to take one…I was just picky about choosing the gondolier. I wanted it to be a fun, non cheesy experience. No, that’s not right. I wanted the right kind of cheesy!

Meet Guila the gondala. And her captain, Stefano. This is one of my all-time favorite Italy stories.

Stefano and I had a hilarious conversation. All in Italian and I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself. A year ago I couldn’t have had this experience and I wouldn’t have had this story to tell.

I asked Stefano who Monica was.

He told me it was his mama. I said…You don’t have a wife? And he said…oh I have a wife, but I’m not putting her name on Guilia.

Mammas are forever. Wives do not last.

BAHAHAHAH! Such a typical comment from an Italian man. I about fell out of the boat!

Here are some things we saw on our gondola ride. Yes, Stefano sang to us. Sadie was simultaneously mortified and intrigued. I,of course, ate it right up.

We ended our gondola ride and set off to find St. Mark’s Square. Jimmy? Is the navigator in this relationship. And he was not there.

Let’s just say we got lost. Very lost. But that whole wandering/no stress thing worked. We eventually found it. Ask anyone how to get to St. Mark’s and they’ll tell you to follow the signs.

Please note that the streets of Venice are VERY narrow and winding. There are many bridges to cross and many corners to turn.

At first the signs looked like this:

Then they started to look more like this. Oh my. They got smaller and smaller. Pretty sure I saw one on a post-it.

We stopped along the way for some shopping:

We finally found the square. We chased some pigeons, did a tiny bit of sightseeing…


Had a quick lunch, and then caught the train home. Despite what this photo might have you believe- Sadie had an AMAZING time. In this photo we were standing on a bridge and every single time the lady would try to take our pic…about 20 tourists would pass in front of her. HA! Sadie was not amused. Obviously.

It was such a special day. I loved spending time with sweet Sadie. I want to be able to do one on one trips more often. It takes effort, but it always pays off.

And Venice? Stole my heart. I cannot WAIT to go back!

Ciao Y’all!

xoxo

S