I've been purposeful about spending more time mentally present with my kids- not just physically present.

I've been focusing on being disciplined (or as I say, on a diet) about the internet. Limiting my time on here to only 3 times during the daytime, for 30 min. at a time; I set a timer and then get off when I'm done. It's so easy to get sucked into the abyss of blogs & funny stuff & facebook & emails & the list could go on and on....

(Trying to catch this one smiling on camera is proving to be very hard! She is always so happy but I just can't seem to get a good pic of it!)

Sometimes, as a stay at home mom, it's the only way to connect to the world. We stay home a LOT. It's an overwhelming task for me, being a self-proclaimed hermit AND the mama to four kiddos 4 years & under, to see that leaving the house for a quick errand to the store is really worth the 45 minutes it takes us to get ready to go out the door, buckle everyone into their carseats, get unloaded & loaded into shopping carts, etc etc.

(What a motley looking crew!)

Most days, I just opt for us to stay in our own environment. We have mom's day out on Tuesdays, and ballet/children's choir/church on Wednesdays, and church stuff on Sundays as well.We usually invite someone over for a visit at least once a week. It's not like we are totally isolated, but there are definitely times where I go a couple of days without grown up interaction, besides with the hubs.

(Playing "basketball" before Wacky Wednesday- pajama night- at church last week.)

Teaching them about grace & the Gospel. And animal sounds.

Pre-orders for "Seaside Cottage" will be up tomorrow morning at Noelmignon.com!

Noel has been hit with A LOT of requests for this kit already, so if you are into the shabby/Rachel Ashwell thing, this is the kit for you! And although she has upped the quanties, based on the emails she has received, you will want to reserve yours fast!

I got some sad news this week and I'm just now getting around to share it here... it's a bit of a bummer for me.

Michelle at Color Me Daisy announced this week that she is going to be closing down the message board and design team sides of her site. She's also planning to release a limited quantity of kits up to 6 times each year with a single purchase option- they will no longer be doing monthly subscriptions.

I do have to say that I'm so glad I did have the chance to design for them; Michelle is such a classy lady and has beautiful kits, and I'll be keeping my eye on the site for announcements of future kits! I met some very cool people there and am hoping to keep up with everyone through their blogs & crackbook- er, facebook.

One fun thing though- we are having a send-off crop for the site. The "Organize Your Heart" crop will be beginning next week, so make sure to stop by for fun challenges & games!


Thanks, Michelle, for allowing me this chance to be on the team. I'm so glad to have been a part of it! :)

I was flipping through the most recent issue of Country Living magazine today, and this page jumped out to me. I am really into "tone on tone" decorating right now, and it's easing its way into my scrappy creating too!

I used these pretty white layers as inspiration for this layout, made with the Noel Mignon Paper Doll kit (sold out!), about my Ariana's teeny tiny toes.

Also, have you checked out the latest NM challenge? It's inspired by GLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Oh, how I love this show. Do I really have to wait until April for the next episode?!

Oh well, at least until then I can listen to the awesome music from the show (hey, and we have a playlist on the challenge blog with it too!).
Yeah, those are some old school pics of me from high school! I was a bit of a punk rock princess.
(This was made with the Noel Mignon Object of my Affection kit- sorry, it's all sold out too!)

And just a reminder! There are only a couple of days left on the Adobe Illustrator CS4 contest! Last time I checked, my team was in third place- so we need to recruit some more people for our team to vote us up to the top! The difference between our team & first place is only by a few people- so tell your friends to

join the Noel Mignon Facebook Fan page

write on the wall that you were referred by me

and then vote in the boxes tab for our team (Team Virginia!)

If our team is in the number one spot on Friday, Noel will draw TWO NAMES out of our group for Adobe Illustrator CS4! I hope one of y'all win!

Wanna chance to win Adobe Illustrator CS4?

What if I told you that there were TWO copies up for grabs?!

Yeah, I thought so.

Okay, here's what you need to do. (Pay attention- there are 3 steps!)

Go to NoelMignon.com's FACEBOOK FAN PAGE. Become a fan (don't worry, if you're already a fan, you can do this too!).

THEN: write on the wall that Virginia Tillery sent ya.

AFTER THAT: go to the "boxes" tab, and vote for Team "Virginia Tillery."

The "team" that has the most votes will be the group that Noel draws names from to win Illustrator! So go on there, do your thing, and then refer your friends to come join our team!!!

(Leave me a comment if you have any questions, or you can check out details here.)

So a while back, I discovered this blog called Shanty 2 Chic. I think that Michelle shared it with me, but I can't remember for sure. Either way- it is one of my new favorite blogs to read! They take "shanty" looking things and paint them, sand them, pretty them up... make them chic.

About a month or two ago, our church secretary posted on facebook that she was getting rid of some old pictures out of the church office, and did anyone want them? I immediately jumped on them as soon as I found out they were framed. She warned me that they weren't very attractive (ahem), but I knew I could make them into treasures.

I took this one the other night, and while watching the Bachelor (shush, I know, I KNOW!), I made it into one of my favorite pieces of art in our home.

I took out the glass & artwork, and brushed on white acrylic craft paint roughly around the frame. I didn't make it super thick because I wanted to see a teensy bit of the wood showing through.

Once it was dry, I dampened a paper towel, and then put a few drops of brown acrylic paint, and rubbed it over the frame, so that it would get into all the little decorative crevices.

I then adhered two overlapping pieces of sheet music (from the "Can't Buy Me Love" Scripts kit) on top of the pre-existing "artwork", and then adhered the photo right in the middle.

I didn't even measure it to make sure it was centered. I'm a risk taker like that. ;)

I inked the edges of the mat board that was in there to give it more distinction.

Jillibean Soup corrugated cardboard alpha letters from my stash (dry brushed with more white paint) adhered on top of the photo finished the look!

I'm a big fan of "white space" (aka space with nothing on it- doesn't necessarily have to be "white") on layouts, although most of the time I tend to forget that I'm a fan of white space when I'm creating and I end up putting stuff everywhere on a layout and before I know it- no white space!

I went in with purpose on this layout to show restraint in my design and to leave some empty space, and I really love the results. It helps keep the focus purely on these pics of my two oldest kiddos.



To make this tree below, I punched a large scalloped circle and matted it behind a tree cut from one of the papers. An overlay, a chipboard sticker, and a button help add more dimension.
I've seen this a few times and I think it looks cool- just punchng one section on a layout. I backed it with a little scrap of patterned paper to make it pop.
To make the title really stand out, I first inked a piece of the Maya Road chipboard, then went over it with the distress stickles in the kit. The look ends up seeming like you could just eat it!
(all made with the Noel Mignon Object of My Affection kit!)