I've Moved

After 8 incredible years here, it's now moving day. Thanks to the amazing Lori Linford Designs, I have a sparkly new home at www.MeganHoeppner.com 

Here, you'll find all of my bidnaz in one location, including:

* My Blog

* DIY Tutorials

* My Bio

* My Class Info

* My TV Segments

* My Online Shop

* and more!

I'm both scared and thrilled. Hope you'll come by for a visit and add me to your readers. Many, many thanks to Blogger and YOU for all of the support over the years! Leaving is definitely bittersweet. 

I raise my glass for a final Blogger Cheers! 

Onesie... twosie... threesie...

Monthly onsies... a project I've had in mind since before my dear Mags arrived. I thought they'd be a cute way to track her growth during her first year. Alas, I didn't complete them until month two of her sweet life, which means onesie one is out of the picture. But, better late than never, I suppose.

Here's the plan: I'll sit her in her cute rocker wearing the onesie that coincides with her current month of age and snap a picture. Lambie will join her to help illustrate her growth. 

How the onesies came together:

Step 1: Purchase onesies for months 1 (or two, in my case) through 12, wash them, and iron them.

Step 2: Select fabric for your numbers and iron fusible webbing (stiffener) to the back of each piece. This is a two-sided iron-on material that will allow you to die-cut your numbers and iron them to the onesies. I used Ultrahold Heat-n-Bond by Therm O Web.  

Step 3: Use a die-cutting machine to cut your numbers. I used the Fabrique by Making Memories. Note: If you don't have a die-cutting machine, you can use stencils to trace numbers and cut them out, or you can simply freehand cut them out. It's up to you!

I cut four of each number so I can make extra sets to give as gifts. 

Step 4: Iron the numbers on the onesies. 

Step 5: Take your photos onesie... errr, once a month. ;) 

Since I was a slacker and missed month one, I'm starting with month 2. (How can my baby girl be two months old already?)

You'd think the photo taking would be the easy part. Yeah, not so much. Here are just a few of the MANY outtakes. 

When ever there's a camera out, Jack has to make an appearance.

Reese (dog speak for "cheese")

Going...

Going... 

Gone! 

Whew! This picture-taking business is hard work.

Cheers!

BTW, I'm thinking about selling these onesie sets. If you're interested in purchasing a set, please e-mail me at M2E2G at aol.com. I'm happy to use colors that work for your needs, and I can do sets for boys, girls, or I can keep 'em gender neutral. Just let me know. :)

The Name Game: Nursery Decor

Foolish me. I thought maternity would leave me with all this free time to create. Umm... not so much. I've pretty much spent every free minute of this happy time holding my sweet girl. BUT, I have managed to squeeze in a few crafts, including decor for Miss Maggie's room.

As soon as I saw these frames and letters from BasicGrey, I knew I had to have them for Mag's nursery. I filled them with fabric—the same fabric I used on the banners I made for her special space.

If you like this look, you can create it in a few simple steps:

1. Select your frames, letters and fabric. Iron the fabric.
2. I used spray adhesive to attach the letter negatives to the fabric.
3. Smooth out any air bubbles. (BTW, is it me or does my hand look VERY freaky in this photo? It bugs. Like Penguin's flipper or something. Yuck!)
4. I backed my fabric with white cardstock to make the fabric pop more than it would if I had just framed it without a backing.
5. Frame the fabric-backed letter.

You'll have to excuse the reflection. Shooting glass with a cell phone doesn't make for the best shot. 

These letters are actually two projects in one, as you can use the negative shape (above), as well as the positive shape (the letter you punch out), which is what I did for the M.

Here's a closer look at each letter. I adore the splash of color this adds to Maggie's room. And she seems to dig it... well, as much as a two-month-old can dig wall art. :)

More baby crafts to come soon. Until then, I hope this one brings a smile to your face. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!

Eight Things at 38 Weeks

From the looks of my ever growing belly, my baby girl’s arrival is just around the corner. The end of this miraculous stage is fast approaching. Of course, the thing I look forward to the most is meeting this little person who has been keeping me company for the better part of the year. What a moment that will be!

There are a few other things that I’m looking forward to. Nothing that compares to meeting my babe, but things. In honor of the 38 week milestone, here are just eight of those things:

1. Wearing shoes other than flip flops. Right now, my swollen feet won’t fit into anything else. Good thing warm weather is here.

2. Drinking a Red Bull. Oh, how I miss my wings. 

3. Bending over to pick things up without moaning and groaning. 

4. Walking without a waddle. 

5. Sleeping through the night without having my bladder wake me several times. Of course, that will likely be replaced with a babe waking me, but that’s A-okay with me. 

6. Drinking the occasional cocktail with dinner. Mmmm...

7. Wearing something other than the six-ish outfits I currently have available to me. 

8. Fully embracing Cory again. Bring on the bear hugs! 

Cheers!

Plus Size Model (and her cute hubby)

A few weeks ago, the talented Elisha Snow posted on Facebook about a beautiful, blossom-filled cherry orchard by her house, saying she would do photo shoots there if anyone was interested. I had been thinking a bit about a maternity shoot and I love Elisha's work, so I jumped at the chance. I'm happy to say that my sweet husband played along without the slightest grumble. How'd I ever get so lucky?

Here are just a few of the lovely shots Elisha took, both in her studio and out with the blooming cherry trees. For more on her work, be sure to check out her website.

Thanks so much, Elisha! You do beautiful work and these are photos we'll treasure forever! 

Cheers!

Win a Spot in Maggie Holmes Design's Photo Workshops!

Today I'm excited to announce the launch of some must-experience online photo fun--Maggie Holmes' Photography Workshops. Maggie has an amazing eye for photography with seven years of professional experience. I have the pleasure of working with her on many photo projects for Creating Keepsakes magazine, and I can assure you her style is striking, fresh and full of life. 

Now's your chance to learn from Maggie and use her tricks of the trade to master your own photography style! Here's a peek at just some of her impressive work:

Aren't these pics perfect? I adore how she combines light and color to capture true personality. You can see more of Maggie's work here. 

This is your opportunity to learn from Maggie and watch your own photo skills...ahem, develop! 

These two online classes have just opened for registration, and, for the first time ever, Maggie is offering an early bird discount if you sign up before the month's end. Giddy up! 

Win a Seat in Class

Naturally, this blog hop party wouldn't be complete without a chance to win a spot in class. Leave a comment on this post on or before this Wed., May 23, and Maggie may randomly choose you to join in the photo fun for free. Yes, free! She's selecting one of her winners from the comments entered at every stop along the blog hop way, so make sure you take a minute to up your odds by also entering at your next two stops, which are:

Kim Watson

Maggie Holmes

Double the pleasure--Maggie will randomly select a second lucky winner from comments received on her blog, so you'll definitely want to enter there. 

A Little Fine Print: If you purchase a class and then are drawn as a winner for that class, your registration fee will be refunded. Does not apply to purchases made for previous classes.

Good luck to you, my blog friend! Whether you win a spot or simply sign up for your seat, I'm sure you'll love this experience. Now, hop on!

Cheers!

Vintage Ribbon and Fabric Storage, and a Fabric Giveaway!

One of my favorite columns to write at work is “Stash It.” Or, as we like to call it around the office, Must Stash It...get it? Mustache It? LOL Good times!

Anyway, this column appears in every Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks special issue, and it’s all about scrapbook organization. The current issue, Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks: Texture, was extra fun to write, because it’s about organizing your textured treats (ribbon, fabric, floss, etc.). These are some of my favorite scrapbooking supplies, both to use and to organize. 

One of the ideas featured in my column was using vintage textile spools to organize your trims. I’ve picked these classic pieces up here and there at consignment and antique shops. They’re surprisingly easy to find. You can even search online at Esty.com and/or eBay.com and find several results. 

Take your trim stash from this...

To this!

Image used with prior consent from Creating Keepsakes magazine.

Simply wrap the trim around the spool and use a small straight pin to hold it in place. Once the spool is full, put it on display to enjoy. 

When it comes to how you approach your spool storage, you have options.

1. Wrap a bunch of various trims on one spool 
2. Wrap your spools by trim type, keeping like types together 
3. Wrap and divide the spools by trim color 

You can also take your fabric scraps from this...

To this, using the same method!

Image used with prior consent from Creating Keepsakes magazine.

For more on organizing your textured stash, including a cool fabric-covered suitcase, I hope you’ll tune into Studio 5 this morning at 11:00 on channel 5 (if you’re in Utah). For those of you out of state, I’ll post a link to the segment soon.

Also, I have a complete step-by-step tutorial for creating the train case on the Creating Keepsakes blog today. Check it out and, while you’re there, enter to win some stunning new Anna Griffin fabric! “Yum” is the best word I can find to describe the awesome assortment we’re giving away. 

I’ll leave you with a question. How do you organize and contain your fabric? I’m getting more and more into this beautiful crafting supply, and I’m always looking for storage solutions. Any ideas you have to share would be much appreciated. :)

Cheers!