crop results.

i finished 3.25 layouts at the crop. for a little while it looked like i would come home without a single completed layout. i was struggling quite a bit, but finally pulled it together a few hours before it was time to leave. i actually decided to just be done because i felt frustrated and just wasn't getting anywhere. i called james to check in, and he kind of gave me a little extra push. i found a favorite photo of the two of us that had made it's way into the small amount of stuff that i'd packed. so i decided to just play around with that photo and have some fun. i didn't really care if i came out with a great layout, but i ended up with one of my favorites. that happens more often than not when i just throw caution to the wind and make something for fun with no expectations. unfortunately, i can't share that layout because i decided to add some journaling when i got home, and i don't like it now. haha. so i'm going to fix it, then i will post it. :] i have two others to share though. i struggled to get good photos of them and finally just gave up. you'll be able to get the idea.

i'm not going to lie... i was pretty bummed when we arrived and checked out green tangerines. i was expecting to see all sorts of fabulous new product. but there was nothing. i mean... a few new things from american crafts, but nothing that i had been hoping and planning to buy while i was there. i was pretty sad. i hadn't packed very much because i was anticipating finding lots of new product to buy. so on friday night i didn't get much very accomplished at the crop. luckily, i brought three studio calico kits with me, so i was able to start this layout after realizing i wouldn't be buying much.don't you love my super creative title? :]
there were a couple challenges issued, so i decided to participate in one of them. we had to use elements on our layout that started with the letters of our initials, so i did "apple patterned paper" or "alphabet thickers" for "a" and "green ribbon" for "g".
as i mentioned... i had a hard time figuring how to finish this one. in fact, i didn't finish it until shortly before packing up to leave on saturday night. i had set it aside and was just going to finish it at home, but i finally decided to pull out my trusty fiskars punches. then i chose another chipboard sticker from cosmo for the final finishing touch.
i had planned a lot more journaling about the yummy pies and our lunch at bodhaine, but i couldn't get it to fit and look good, so i left it off the final layout.

that night at the hotel, i was searching around on the internet via my phone and found out that there was a small stamping store called the stamp art shoppe just a short drive away. in the morning i asked mandee if she wanted to go check it out, so after breakfast we headed over there. i'm so glad that we did... it's a nice little store and the owner was so friendly. they had the new basic grey nook and pantry collection, which i wasn't too excited about when i saw it online, but holy smokes! in person it's wonderful. i'm in love with the backsides of most of the papers... they are just so pretty. that lovely brown doilie pattern below is from the collection, as well as the cream linen looking paper. i should have purchased more... i seriously can't tell you enough about how much i love the patterns.
i really like that photo of erin on the left, so i decided to document our pumpkin hunt.
i was excited to finally use some of the twine i've been collecting from studio calico. i also used some cute little nutmeg chipboard stickers that i won from cosmo cricket and some jenni bowlin chipboard buttons that i picked up at the stamp art shoppe.
and i have to thank mandee again for letting me have the jenni bowlin label journaling paper. i had attemped to cut one from brown cardstock, but i didn't have a good brown with me and the cardstock selection at green tangerines was pretty pathetic. i don't mean to keep saying bad things about the store, but i definitely feel like if you are having a big crop, you should have your cardstock section well stocked.

all in all, i had a good time on the short trip. it was nice to get away and have some creative time. plus, mandee and i got to meet rachel, a fellow studio calico fan, on saturday at the crop. she lives in the area, and i'm so glad that she was able to make it. it's always fun to meet online scrappy friends in real life. she is super sweet, and i'm really hoping that we'll have the chance to meet up again sometime. :]

i'm so tired, i feel like i'm forgetting to mention something that i had intended to about the trip... oh well. maybe it will come to me later. i guess that's all for now. i'm off to bed!