Ticket Stub Display

Ever since I was young, I always saved tickets from things I saw, visited, or did. I have movie tickets going back to Patch Adams, plane tickets from my third trip to Hawaii in 5th grade, and concert tickets like the Backstreet Boys Millennium Tour! I have them all in a little box and love added a new stack every once in a while after some have accumulated in my wallet and reminiscing about all the incredible times I've had. 

The sad part about them being in a box is that I can't share my collection and have it displayed. How do you display hundreds of plane, movie, museum, theatre, and concert tickets? Well, while killing time while waiting to pick up O from kindergarten, I found a way! This is what I made:

 I purchased a shadowbox frame from IKEA, added some cute scrapbook paper, printed and backed the 'admit one' label, added some tickets, and hung it up! Now, this frame only holds about a fifth or what I have and you can't see very many of them but I can mix it up as I please if I find a ticket I'd like to display. This is now hanging in my den and I love how easy it was and how nice it looks!

Another cute way of making your tickets a keepsake is through a ticket stub journal. I have one that got hidden in my last move but it has a slot for your tickets and a place to write memories and who you were with. You can find things like it on amazon or make your own! 

'Buy the ticket, take the ride.' ~ Hunter S. Thompson

Shutterfly Photo Share Sites

I love taking pictures to the point of my friends and family barely tolerating me at events. (I always tell them that if they smile the first time, I'll only need one shot!) Needless to say, I've been taking a lot of pictures of the kids I nanny, S and O. 

They just had their joint birthday party and I was trying to figure out how to get the photos to their parents. Prints are a waste of money if you don't know exactly which ones they'd want and discs are pretty convenient but would require me to, you know, have discs to burn. Then I remembered that after my wedding, my dad made a photo share page through Shutterfly to send pictures to family and friends to view and add on to.

So tonight, I took the time to make a photo share site for all of the adventures the kids and I have. We've been to the zoo, aquarium, beach, and done a lot of fun projects that their parents hadn't seen photos of yet! I even have their birthday party and first day of school photos! So I uploaded them all to albums on Shutterfly and will send the link to their parents. 

What is nice is the site is only available to those who have the link and that the kids parents will have the option to send that link to grandparents, family and friends. They will also have the option to print photos they do decide they want as keepsakes.

I can see this being a great idea to do with friends after an event, coworkers after a conference, or family after a new baby so everyone has the options to view, add, and print the pictures they like!

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Subway Art Holiday Frame

I am so very excited we have reached the 'holiday season'! Yes, Christmas isn't for a couple months but we are finally in the time of the year when I have months of holidays I get to decorate for. Starting with Halloween!

When I first began wasting my life away on Pinterest, I saw a wonderful post about holiday subway art by eighteen25 and pinned it to look back at later. My mom's birthday rolled around and I was thinking of something unique to give her. She always had our home decorated for holidays growing up so I went back into my pins and found this amazing project again!

The ladies from eighteen25 created this amazing 'subway art' for each holiday throughout the year! On their blog page, click subway art and be amazed at all the artwork! I printed them all for my mom and myself (I could resist!), picked a frame, and let the decorating begin! 

What I adore most about these prints is that it is a subtle way to have a frame constantly out but mix it up throughout the year. The prints are created for 16x20 but you can print them for 8x10. I used cardstock but there are instructions on how to get them printed at Costco. All of these are available to print for personal use. 

So get printing and enjoy the holidays to come! Now if only we could be through with the heat!


“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.” ~ Dr. Seuss

'Let's Do This!' Lists

With my new job comes 'chores' and one of my chores is to make sure S and O do theirs. First, I was just telling them each thing as they went. This led to "How long until am I done?" and "How many do I have left?" so I decided to write out a list on their whiteboards for them to cross off. It was a great change but required me to make a new list each day. What I FINALLY got around to making tonight is going to save the day!

This evening, I made each child their own 'Let's Do This!' list. It has each of their individual responsibilities written out so they can see them and I don't have to rewrite each day. By doing this, I have saved myself time, made the kids more responsible for themselves, and given them the security of being able to see and know what needs to get done without having to ask me. I put each list in a plastic page cover and they will use their whiteboard markers to cross the chores off as they go and erase them when done for the day!

I tried my best to put everything in order but things change with their busy after school schedules and depending on how much homework they have. I didn't put it on the list, but if we have time, we read. The kids read every night with their parents but I also like to read with them when I can. 

S's list is all written out but O's has pictures next to each chore because she is learning how to read. I still wrote out the list so she can learn the words, too. Someday, I'd love to make one of those cute magnet boards or clothespin ribbon charts but for now, this will be perfect and accomplish everything I need it to!


"A half-baked idea is okay as long as it's in the oven."  ~Author Unknown

Photo Wall

I finally had some time this summer to pick out wedding photos I wanted on display in our home. Luckily, this came around the same time Michael's had their 70% off all frames sale. Yay! I found a design idea online of how I wanted the wall to look. I chose to hang them on my staircase since there was a lot of room so I needed the display to be at an angle. 

The prints I chose were 1-8x10 and 12-4x6. I filled the frames and laid out my idea on the floor. Next, I cut tissue paper to match the size of each frame. I then poked holes using a pencil at the hook where the nail would be placed. 

Then I put the paper up to the wall and nailed it in. I started with my middle most frame to use as a guideline. 

I did this for each picture until they were all up the way I imagined! 

It is now a beautiful focal point for when guests enter our home and I feel like it showcases many beautiful memories from our wedding day (which was just over 6 months ago!)

"A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen."  ~Edward de Bono

Sound of Little Paws

Hello again! So there I was, about a month ago, going on and on about how much more time I was going to have to get back into blogging since S and O were back in school. Then Mike and I decided to get a puppy! Our sweet little addition is named Brielle and she is a 16 week old pug-poodle mix (pugapoo!)  We adopted her through the Pug Rescue of San Diego and went to meet her and her brothers at the foster home they were staying at. She was so well taken care of and all up to date on her shots! It was love at first lick and, although it is exhausting, we are so happy we brought her home.

Most of my free time has been devoted to snuggles, kisses, potty training, driving the pup, and finding a vet. She loves to sleep, give kisses, and follow us EVERYWHERE! Mike and I joke "Are you sure she's a companion dog?" She came mostly kennel trained and sleeps through the night but hates being left alone when I go to work. We are lucky to have wonderful family and friends that help take care of her and love her so much!

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies." ~Gene Hill

Book Club: My Life in France

During the last month while away from my computer, my book club met for the second time! We had 4 members this round and I'm so happy with how it went. 

We chose to read My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme in order to celebrate what would have been Julia's 100th birthday in August!

August 2012 Book Club: My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme

Here is the Amazon description: In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child’s years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found ‘her true calling.’

From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre in the fall of 1948 and Julia watched the well-muscled stevedores unloading the cargo to the first perfectly soigné meal that she and her husband, Paul, savored in Rouen en route to Paris, where he was to work for the USIS, Julia had an awakening that changed her life. Soon this tall, outspoken gal from Pasadena, California, who didn’t speak a word of French and knew nothing about the country, was steeped in the language, chatting with purveyors in the local markets, and enrolled in the Cordon Bleu.

After managing to get her degree despite the machinations of the disagreeable directrice of the school, Julia started teaching cooking classes herself, then teamed up with two fellow gourmettes, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, to help them with a book they were trying to write on French cooking for Americans. Throwing herself heart and soul into making it a unique and thorough teaching book, only to suffer several rounds of painful rejection, is part of the behind-the-scenes drama that Julia reveals with her inimitable gusto and disarming honesty.

Filled with the beautiful black-and-white photographs that Paul loved to take when he was not battling bureaucrats, as well as family snapshots, this memoir is laced with wonderful stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so wholeheartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.
Le voici. Et bon appétit!

As far as I recall, everyone enjoyed the book. It was fun being able to picture scenes from the movie Julie & Julia as we read. That's what most of the book was - stories that Julia Child remembered and were written down, mostly chronological. It was like you were old friends just sitting around sharing stories... except she was doing all the talking! One of my favourite themes expressed throughout the book was love. Julia had so much love for her husband, friends, and food. Those are three things I can relate to and hope to become as passionate of a woman as her.

If we were going to celebrate Julia Child there needed to be French food! Since I was limited on time, I arranged a tray of French cheeses: brie, comté, and chèvre. My coworker, V, made Julia's infamous boeuf bourguignon and potatoes which was incredible! KM brought French wine and salad.

For dessert, I picked up some beautiful macaroons from 'lette. They were beautiful and delicious! The winners were sweet wedding almond and passion fruit. 

Our next meeting is in a few weeks and I'm really enjoying this month's read! There won't be much food but probably some good wine and company!

"Find something you are passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." ~ Julia Child