MAGGIE HOLMES Photography and Scrapbooking Blog

Elizabeth Kate: 8 Months Update

At 8 months.......

She has tons of personality and is always smiling!

She is still the BEST baby ever!

She is so nice, so happy and just so good natured in general.

She rarely cries and usually only if she is hungry or tired.

She has 2 teeth - on the bottom.

She eats all baby foods and loves her mush the most - rice cereal with something else mixed in. 

She loves the bath!

She is scooting all around on her tummy like a little inch worm and rarely stays in one place anymore.

She loves her binky and loves to take it out, play with it and then put it back in.

She just started sleeping in her crib upstairs and is doing really well but we miss her in our room and miss how she would peek up at us over her bassinet in the mornings with a HUGE happy smile.

She babbles and says the sounds mamamama and bababababa.

She LOVES her daddy a LOT and lights up whenever he talks to her.

She loves being entertained by all the action going on around her from her brothers and sister. She loves when they clap for her and she really loves when Emily sings and dances for her.

She is at the stage where she is grabbing at everything in her path all the time no matter what it is and then it goes right to her mouth!

She sleeps best when we put her in bed with her binky and blanket and leave her. She doesn't fall asleep in our arms much at all anymore but does like to cuddle when she is awake.

She has a really high pitched little singing voice that she does a lot which is soooo cute. And then sometimes it turns into a really LOUD almost screaming, yet happy, voice in the car when she is trying to keep up with all the talking from everyone else.

She is a major cat napper in the day and usually doesn't nap for very long periods of time. But she always wakes up happy as a clam!

Her hair is still crazy and is super long only on the top. It is starting to come in more on the sides and in the back though. We love how her long hair on the top sticks up and literally flies in the wind when she doesn't have a headband on! It has always been so funny!

She has the SOFTEST skin ever!

She is quite chunky and one of her nicknames is chunkers. She has the cutest rolls on her legs and she has love handles which I love to squeeze!

Her other nicknames are Lizzy Kate, EK, bubbers, bubbas, cuters and punkin sis. 

We love love love her to pieces!

Photos are from a quick impromptu "photo shoot" (as in about 5 minutes long) when I was out to breakfast with my mom for her birthday. She was more interested in looking at the wood floor and putting her finger in the little holes than smiling for me! I die for her cheeks and her hands that are so chubby she has dimples in them!

Giveaway Winners

 

The winner of the Dear Lizzy Chipboard Word Banner is:

Jennifer O. said...

Cutest banner ... can't wait to see the whole collection!

ReplyJanuary 16, 2012 at 11:28 AM

 

The winner of the Amy Tan & Studio Calico Class is:

Jenny-Lynn said...

I would love to take Amy's class and use up some of my stash! Your blog has been a favorite of mine for the amazing layouts and minis you make. I would love to see more scrappy goodness. :)
xoxo,
jenny-lynn

ReplyJanuary 14, 2012 at 06:01 AM

 

Congrats to you both! Please email me asap with your information!

Dear Lizzy & American Crafts: Blog Hop & Giveaway

Elizabeth Kartchner’s latest signature collection, Dear Lizzy Neapolitan, is fanciful & fresh featuring candy-shop colors and a diffused watercolor effect that takes you into a daydream of hand-drawn Mason jars, ice cream cones and balloons.
Dear Lizzy Neapolitan features 22 papers, including darling stitched ruffle paper & patterned vellum. Complementing the papers are a variety of embellishments from painted wood buttons, epoxy stickers, chipboard word banners, embroidered brads & wood grain chipboard pieces. Other new exciting products are Flutterbys (sewn butterfly & pendant banners), a Roller & Phrase Stamp and Paper Pinwheels. Here's a sneak peek of one of the products!

 

As part of the blog hop I am giving away the Chipboard Word Banner pictured below! So cute! To enter the giveaway, leave a comment here in this post and then I will draw a winner at random in a few days! Also the Amy Tan class giveaway is still open so be sure to check that out below this post as well!

 

Your next stop on the BLOG HOP is Liz Tamanaha. Be sure to check out all the stops because each of us is giving away part of the new collection and I also believe that someone is giving away the entire line!!!!

............................

In other news my first online Photography Workshop of 2012 starts today! I am super excited to be teaching again after the holiday break! Every class I teach is so rewarding becasue I get to see my students progress soooo much in such a short amount of time! The best is seeing people who start out shooting in automatic mode and then go to shooting in full manual in just a few weeks! They are always so surprised how easy it really is once they gain the knowledge along with my tried and true tips and tricks! Bye Bye frustration and hello to fabulous photos!! That's what it's all about!

There are a few spots left in this class so if you want to jump on board and join us, it's not too late! More information on my workshops can be found here at Maggie Holmes Design.

Amy Tan & Studio Calico Online Class:: Giveaway

Hi there friends! I have a fabulous giveaway for you today! I have been super absent here on the blog so this is a great way to kickstart my return!! I promise I will be back here regularly from now on!!

Are you ready to jumpstart the way you look at supplies?  Tired of letting your kits pile up month after month without touching them?  Ready to pull out the tools you have on hand and put them to use? Amy Tan is here to help show you how to see the Studio Calico Main kits in new ways and get those supplies onto your pages.  She’s ready to share tips and tricks on making your kit supplies stretch to create beautiful page after page.

Known for her playful and innovative pages, Amy is the perfect teacher to help you stretch your kits.  She’ll walk you through ideas for breaking open those brown paper bags and seeing your kits in a fun new way.  Amy and Studio Calico kits... what a great combination!

Amy is joined by creative powerhouses Kelly Goree, Celine Navarro, and Jen Jockisch who will all share inspiration for using ONLY the Studio Calico Main kit.  You’ll see their process for getting started on a layout, selecting which supplies to pull from the kits, and tips for using their favorite tools and techniques.


                        START DATE: FEBRUARY 1, 2012                              

PRICE: $30.00

You can find out more information and register at Studio Calico right here.

TO ENTER: Please post here in the comments and tell me something you are interested in seeing here on my blog.... I'm gearing up for lots of posts in 2012 and I'd love to hear what you want to see. Whether it is photography, home decor, scrapbooking stuff, family posts.... anything and everything. Let me know and I'll get working on it!! I'll be back to draw a winner at random in a few days!

December Daily Photography Workshop

Here it is.... my newest online photography class that I have been soooo excited to launch! 

This one works differently than my other 2 photography workshops. The class is an email based workshop in which you will receive 1 email per day for every day in December. The class is inspired by Ali Edwards' wildly popular December Daily Album concept in which you create an album that includes photos/thoughts/memories/memorabilia/etc for each day in December.

In case you aren't familiar with this you can find a lot more information about the December Daily Album concept on Ali Edwards' site.

The only glitch I have ever run into with my December Daily albums is keeping up with them and staying on track in order to finish and complete the whole album. For me it is a super crazy busy month and I am sure it is for most of you too. So, it is easy to forget about it or get stuck and not know what to take pictures of, what to document, etc and then we give up.

My photography workshop is designed to help you stay on track with your album and it also takes the guesswork and confusion out of the equation when it comes to taking your photographs. The daily emails will be a great reminder to take your photos and you will also be inspired with examples and ideas. This will keep you from falling behind and then being stressed about not having photos for some of the days.

:::Here are a few more details, and answers to questions about the class:::

If you struggle for ideas and creativity when it comes to taking the photos each day for your December Daily Album, this class is for you.

If you struggle with not knowing how best to capture the details, like the twinkling Christmas lights at night, close ups of decorations, etc, then this class is for you.

If you are looking for easy and applicable tips and tricks on how to improve your everyday photography, this class is for you.

There is no certain camera required for this class, although I will give technical information on settings when it is applicable. You can take this class no matter what type of camera you will be using to take your photos. In fact I will be using a mixture of cameras including my digital SLR, point and shoot, instax cameras and Iphone. My photos, ideas, inspiration, tips and tricks will be varied amongst all of them.

You don't have to be doing a December Daily Album to take this photography workshop. Anyone can join in. You can simply come along for the inspiration and ideas and use them in your own creative way. You could also take my class and simply create an album that is only photos using the ones you take each day with me. Whether you create a detailed Dec Daily Album or something super simple, the things you learn will apply!

Not all of the emails will be Christmas focused. The December Daily Album concept is about documenting your life each day in December, not just documenting the Holidays. My class offers a nice balance between Holiday related photography and non-Holiday related photography.

If you have any other questions, let me know! Registration is open now and class starts December 1st!! 

This makes my heart happy....

I just saw this when I was loading my pumpkin patch pictures (yes, I am barely getting around to doing it) and I had to hurry and edit it to share!

Now I can't wait to go through the rest of them to see what gems are waiting for me!!!

Hope you are having a great day!

Way too long...

Seriously a month? I can't stand that I haven't blogged in such a long time! But instead of beating myself up over it I am trying to remember that this seems to happen each year around this time. Not only am I busy doing my normal things - being a mom, wife, studio calico, my online photography classes, etc - but it is the craziest time of year for my photography business. Every year I try to gear up for it and think I am going to stay on top of it all but it seems like something has to give and it ends up being the blog. :)

I do keep up with posting on instagram, twitter and facebook so if you don't follow me and want to keep up with the little day-to-day things that are going on around here you can find me and follow me by clicking on the links or by looking me up on instagram under maggiehdesign.

I have lots of exciting things to share with you today!!

1. Elizabeth is almost 6 months old! Hello! Where does the time go? She is an absolute joy and is the happiest baby on earth! She is rolling around now and her first little tooth just poked through as well!

2. I was featured as the guest designer for Crate Paper this week! You can see the post along with my layouts here on their blog! I'm not sure why my layouts look all pixelated over there though :( They don't look that crazy in real life!

3. Did you see the 2012 Creating Keepsakes Dream Team announcement yet? I will be back for another year and couldn't be more excited about it! 

4. I will be launching some new online workshops at Maggie Holmes Design very soon and can't wait to share the details with you!! I will still be offering my current photography classes which start back up again in January 2012 so no worries, those are not going away! In fact, the first one is almost full so if you are thinking of signing up, do it quick! It might be time to snag yourself an early Christmas present!! :)

And just to tease you I will give you a little hint about one of the new classes - It has to do with documenting December......... any ideas?? Stay tuned! I will be back to announce it soon and link you up to the registration page!

 

 

Colorful Kisses....

Heading back up to Utah for SPARK this weekend! I will be demoing and selling the latest Studio Calico products including the mists, masks and stamp sets!! I hope to see you there!!

...................................

In case you missed it, my NEW WEBSITE is now live!! Please go there to purchase my PHOTOSHOP ACTIONS (for the most current versions) and to register for my ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES! We are in the middle of my last class for 2011 but I have some 2012 classes open for registration already and people are signing up!! It's the perfect thing to put on your Christmas wishlist.... just make sure to give your list to your hubby or mom or best friend early so you get signed up before it fills up!

..............................................

It rained a lot and even SNOWED when I was up in Utah with my kiddos for fall break! They sure loved making snow balls and playing in it but I was a little upset that it interfered with my plans for taking LOTS of pictures while we were there at all my favorite Utah locations! I had even scouted out some new ones that I wanted to try but it didn't happen so I guess it will have to wait! Boo!

On our way out of town..... literally...... we stopped really QUICK to take some last minute pictures. I haven't even looked through all of them but I just saw this one and had to open it and do a quick edit. I am in LOVE with the COLOR and the KISSES!! These two are like 2 peas in a pod -- very similar personalities!! When they are not driving me a wee bit crazy with their ENDLESS energy, they are making me smile and laugh and they most definitely always make me feel LOVED!

Hope you have a colorful weekend!! If you need some creative inspiration come see me at SPARK!!!

Studio Calico Kit Winner

The winner of the October Studio Calico Kit -  Field Guide is:

Natalie said...

Oh, I'd so love to get my hands on those SC exclusives! love the way you used this kit but then again I always love your baby layouts :)

October 14, 2011 at 12:10 PM

 

Congrats Natalie! Please email me asap with your address so we can send your kit to you!!

Thanks to everyone for entering and for your sweet comments and feedback on my layouts!!! You are the best!!!

Studio Calico Blog Hop and Giveaway!

We (the Studio Calico Design Team) are doing a blog hop and a giveaway that I think you will LOVE!!

This month, for the first time ever, we all did a layout using only the Main Kit Field Guide! Typically I throw everything together and mix it all up so it was a bit different for me but it was a fun challenge........ a challenge that wasn't actually a challenge at all because each kit is designed so that you can use it by itself and you really don't need anything else!!

Here is the kit.....

I already ranted and raved about the SC exclusives that are in this kit... the butterflies, the paper, the journaling die cuts, the stamps.... oh my!!

Here is my layout again that I did using only the main kit:

and a close up:

I journaled on one of the die cuts and then I misted on another one to use it as more of an accent piece.

What I love about the fact that we all created a layout using only this kit? It really shows how versatile these kits are!! It amazes me how many different layouts can come from the same set of products and how you can come up with lots of different things by simply using a little creativity in putting it all together!

The best part about this Blog Hop??? The GIVEAWAY! We are ALL giving away this kit!!! Yes, that is right, we are each giving away the October Main Kit - Field Guide!! To enter, you need to leave a comment here on this blog post and then I will be back on Monday to draw a winner at random.

You can (and SHOULD) go to the Studio Calico blog to hop/link to all of the other designer's blogs where you will be able to see their layouts that they did using ONLY the main kit and to enter their giveaways as well!! Yes, you can enter to win on all of our blogs which means you have lots of chances at winning! 

The fine print: you can only win once so if you win on more than one blog, we will choose another winner. The prize is the October Main Kit.... if you are already a subscriber or you already purchased this kit, then you will still win this kit. You will not be able to swap it out for a different kit. For me it would actually be a bonus to get this kit even if I already had it because I love the SC exclusives sooooo much and after the kit is gone, those products are gone too!

Good luck!!!!!!!