the roosevelt hotel

For our Christmas presents this past year (2015), Chris and I chose to prebook a few mini trips and dates that we could look forward to throughout 2016. This was just a one night stay away and it was only about 14 miles from our house! We stayed at The Roosevelt Hotel.

We were impressed at how cool this hotel is!

Because we had no agenda, we roamed the surprisingly massive grounds at The Roosevelt and ventured outside where the tourists congregate for just a brief moment.

A few of my essentials for poolside creating while Chris braved the cold water! I finished that book First & Then and I LOVED IT! It's a YA book, but didn't read too much like one.

Obligatory self timer shot so that we can be included in my books too! :)

We found a little coffee shop a few feet away and spent our morning sketching and reading. Our favorite getaways- ones where we explore our neighborhood, find new places for dates and have nothing on our agendas.

January 29, 2016 0

best version of you! I mean me!

I seem to have a few different Midori's that I'm diving into for 2016. I can count off the top of my head at least 3. There's no rhyme or reason, really and I'm just gonna go with it! This is a little faux-dori that Amy Tangerine was offering for awhile. I think she may be sold out in her shop right now. Did a spread today with the Studio Calico Arendal Documenter kits.

I've been feeling like I haven't really accomplished much this week and I used the excuse, "recovering from the holidays" as my reason. Ya, I can't do that next week. So this past week I managed to clean out a few closets, organize my desk, put things up on Craigslist and deep clean my dishwasher. Why can't that be enough and make me feel like I accomplished so much? Because I did! 🙂 I know I did, just doesn't seem like fun accomplishments. ha! I need to keep reminding myself that I'm doing a pretty good job being the best version of myself. 🙂 I'm gonna just find some inner peace about that and move on 🙂 Happy Friday and weekend! xo

Summer Midori Notebook

January 15, 2016 0

intentions

Happy new year! It's 2016 and I've got a fresh new year ahead of me. You wouldn't know it, but this blog has been around since 2005. I used to regularly post my thoughts, days with my kids and even announced my pregnancy with Elsie who is now 9. I stepped back a bit when the big kids became teenagers (anyone with teens knows that that time could be a roller coaster of emotions, and I personally had a hard time derailing from!) and life just was busier than normal. I also took a break from scrapbooking, where I used to regularly create for two peas in a bucket and numerous other design teams. Just this past year in 2015, I emerged back into the scrapbooking world. I designed for Studio Calico, worked closely with Amy Tangerine on our creative life and taught a class for Big Picture Classes. This year, I have a few things on the horizon that I am really excited about but I can't help but still feel a little void. While I am not going to crawl into bed and cradle that feeling, (at least not today) I am going to write down my intentions! My one little word this year is SAVOR. I want to savor all the time between now and when I write this next post in 2017, looking back on 2016. I want to have savored the good times, the null times and even the hard times. I gave myself a book reading goal last year of 12 books and I passed it. (This year, I'm hoping to double that.) So I thought it would only be fit for me to give myself a blogging goal this year. I have not been able to shut this thing down, even as I pay for it every month, and I have tried to put it into book form but because it's so big, the volumes and uploading have been enormous. As I've got 2 older children with a foot out the door, I know that I need to document and savor. That I will soon forget the little bits of our days and will be scouring this blog for that one time long ago. So here goes, savoring 2016 and documenting along the way. Cheers!

January 13, 2016 0

The Creative Life Documented

Amy and I have been working on this new online course, The Creative Life Documented, available today! Over the last year, we've had a great time working together and offering the free The Creative Handbook and the super fun Design on Time series. Now, we've taken all our favorite tips from finding the time to craft to finding inspiration to get started, made 50 never seen before projects and compiled them together to inspire you. We're covering the whole paper crafting spectrum: scrapbooking, mini books, midori books, planners and bonus projects. There's video content and printable PDF's of the chapters as well as some printable goodies! If you register by Saturday, Nov 7 11:59PST, we'll be sending you a mini book free of charge to your home! Here's a sample. I decorated the cover with the bike and washi.
Hope to see you in the classroom!

November 5, 2015 0

Portland Weekend Getaway

Last weekend, Chris and I had the opportunity to make a quick trip to Portland to explore the city and visit with his sister and her family. It was a lovely break from the heat of Southern California. We ate and drank so much coffee, roamed around Powells and just had the most delightful time! Here are pictures galore! Brought the Midori along with me to try and record the trip. Most times I was good about it, sometimes I forgot. :)

We stayed at the Ace Hotel, which was conveniently located right next to Stumptown, our favorite! The lovely Multnomah Falls. Little bit of drizzle but still lots of people!

Ahhh it's been over 100 degrees here in So Cal, just looking at these pics brings me relief 🙂

As per usual with Chris and traveling, lots of roaming around and walks before 9 am. Perfect.

Bollywood Theatre, yummy food and amazing decor. So many pieces of wall art I just loved. The one thing that Elsie requests when we go somewhere is a tee shirt of the place we visited. We found this cute shop that sells many local artists. Perfect! Tender Loving Empire.

Powells we love you and could spend days upon days there!
Unexpected rain means a new set of Docs. Haven't owned them in about 20 years! Loved this little book shop that had a little reading art gallery in the back! Reading Frenzy. And alas, the sun came out for the last few hours we were in Portland. So pretty and perfect temperature!
Had the infamous Por Que No tacos for our last meal in Portland. SO GOOD! The decor, I melt. SO CUTE.

Last stop, Voodoo to bring back for the kids. I thought they were yummy but Elsie's verdict: "They taste like any other donut I've had." The girl has eaten a lot of donuts and we have some pretty good shops here in LA. :) We loved our visit cannot wait to get back next year with the whole family!

September 10, 2015 0

sharing

Studio Calico's September Kits are available now! This month is called Brimfield. I have to say, that the process of creating each month again has been a fun experience. There have been times where I've been stumped, where there were colors or patterns that I thought weren't 'me'. When I've designed for 2peas waaaay back in the day, there was pretty much free reign and you could create whatever you wanted. Designing for a kit club where they choose your supplies/ingredients has been surprising and a good creative stretch for me. This month felt so good though. Every paper and color were 'me'. I didn't have to overthink anything. Things just meshed. This layout took me about 5 minutes. All I did was stamp the title and glue everything else down. That's my kinda creating. Capturing our memories and recording them on pretty paper. That's my motto. :)

September 2, 2015 0

goodbye summer 2015

With everyone's busy schedules this summer, we opted to stay somewhat close to home and escape the heat of Southern California. We stayed at an airbnb and drove between San Luis Obispo and Big Sur. Here we managed to spot some whales along the coast. We wish we were closer but we felt fortunate to see them at all! Such a treat. The beaches in Northern Cal are different than the ones we are used to in So Cal and Hawaii. But we did get a chance to see some seals, dolphins, whales and the boys went kayaking. We were spoiled by some amazing sunsets!

View from the Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur. We were there early so the fog hadn't burned off, seemed a bit more magical that way, though. Also had the best pizzas of our lives at Big Sur Bakery later that day. Must go back! Sometimes traveling with 6 opinions, thoughts, expectations and feelings can be a bit tough. It seems like there's always someone who had something else in mind, a different agenda, a different meal. It's hard to please everyone. I've accepted that not everyone will be happy all the time which helps alleviate the pressure for me. This time together is rare and precious. I realize it won't be long til family trips with all 6 may dwindle to perhaps 4 or 5 of us. I tried to just take it one day at a time, storing little pockets of happiness in my heart, as I knew summer would quickly be coming to an end, and the routine of school and life would be knocking at our door. Thank you for the memories, Big Sur.

August 17, 2015 0

Summer Midori Notebook

A brand new Midori book sitting blank on my desk. I had no idea what to fill it with until I decided to make it my summer journal! I have documented little bits here and there and though I have more plans in my head what to do with it, I'm just glad I did the inside cover and title page! I've started taking this little Rifle pouch with me filled with the necessities. Some girls use it for make up, I use it for supplies! 🙂

It's the perfect size and I still need to get the hang of writing more consistently, but I'm determined to get my summer bucket lists in there and take it with me on some trips!

July 1, 2015 0

My 15 minute layout class at BIG PICTURE CLASSES

5 layouts. 18 photos. Done in under 75 minutes. I'm so excited to share an afternoon of creating out 5 layouts with you! I have put together a class at BIG PICTURE CLASSES that shows you my process for making 5- 15 minute or less layouts. Here's a little write up on the class:

Create five layouts in one afternoon! In 15-Minute Pages, Jamie Waters will share tips and techniques to speed up the scrapbooking process so that you can focus on creating instead of decision-making. You'll learn how to stretch your supplies by mixing patterned papers and making your own “kits.” Jamie will show how easy it is to create layouts in 15 minutes or less so that you can spend more time making memories instead of recording them.

I'm happy to be able to offer non members a free month trial at Big Picture. You can take as many classes as you'd like in that free month. Imagine how much you can get done!

*Free month trial promotion end August 25^th, 2015 at 11:59 pm EST. First month free offer valid only on new memberships and is not valid for current or previous members. Click the “Start Your Free Trial” button and follow the steps to begin your free trial. Enter promo code in promo box and continue checkout process. Not valid on previous purchases. Must enter promo code at checkout. Refunds will not be issued for misused or non-entered codes.

Code: BPCJAMIE

I hope you join us!

May 25, 2015 0

The Fringe Hours collab with Studio Calico

When I got this book a few weeks ago, I have to admit that while I was reading it, I found myself nodding and patting myself on the back as I have incorporated ME time into my weekly schedule for a few years now. Being a mother of 4, where was this book when they were all younger?! Those were the times I felt overwhelmed and this book would have shed light on what so many of us women/moms are searching for. I have 3 teenagers now and a 9 year old so I can clearly see pockets of me time, the FRINGE HOURS. It's harder to discover those Fringe Hours when you are immersed in toddlerhood. It's sometimes hard to give yourself permission to take advantage of those Fringe Hours. I know I did. Reading this book is like having coffee with Jessica, she's sitting there nodding at your same struggles but telling you it's okay. Everything will be alright. This book gives you the permission and explains WHY it is so important. I wish I had come across it years ago but thankful I've incorporated ME Fridays into my life when I did. This book just further validated my decision. I look forward to Fridays. I cherish them. My little one gets out of school early and it's my day "off" until it's time to pick her up. There's still a dishwasher to empty and regular day to day stuff. But for the most part, I give myself permission to read on the couch for a few hours, window shop, binge watch, spend more time than necessary on Pinterest and just unwind, prep mentally and emotionally before a busy weekend ahead. Before ME Fridays, I realized I wasn't putting me on the calendar. Now I do wholeheartedly. I'm a recharged me and my kids I'm sure would thank me for it. I THANK ME FOR IT. Here's my Mother's Day present. A photo of all 4 kids and me together. The reasons I celebrate ME fridays :) Be sure to check out Jessica's blog post at Studio Calico to read more about her book and be sure to download the free printable cards they've designed. I've printed mine out, ready to do something fun with them as it is ME Friday today 🙂 Enjoy xo.

May 22, 2015 0