NOVEMBER FAVES

1. I have been on a huge herbal tea kick lately, and this chocolate orange herbal tea from Stash has been my favorite. I usually add a bit of cream and honey to it... super yummy!

2. Speaking of honey, I love the Raw Honey Enriched With Royal Jelly from Stakich. It is a bit more pricey but I really like it.

3. I have rediscovered my It Cosmetics Butter Gloss and I am wondering why I ever stopped using it. I use the naturally pretty shade. It has the prettiest shine and just a hint of color. I LOVE it.

4. Whenever we get together with family, you can bet a game will be played. We had family stay with us for the Thanksgiving holiday and we all seemed to enjoy playing Five Crowns. We got this game for my mom last year for Christmas, and it is pretty simple and fun.

5. I am not a big candle person, but I like having them on hand to light  if I know I am going to have company. I really like the Sweater Weather scent form Bath and Body Works. It's my go to choice as of late.

Felicity Jane | Savannah Kit

I had so much fun working with my Felicity Jane "Savannah" kit. November was such a busy month, but I managed to get three layouts done and they are all on the Felicity Jane blog.

Banning Lane | Felicity Jane "Savannah"

The first layout I did was actually a project life spread. My favorite card was probably one I made using a bunch of different labels and banners from the cut apart sheet. I love how it turned out. You can find more photo plus a process video here.

Banning Lane | Felicity Jane "Savannah"

On my second layout I stepped outside of my "super simple" box and had fun playing with all the little bits and pieces that came in the kit. I will definitely be doing another layout like this soon. You can find more details, plus a process video here.

Banning Lane | Felicity Jane "Savannah"

I decided to tell a longer story about "real life" on my last layout. I told the story of my daughter's cardiology check up this year. This layout is probably my favorite. Photo + words + a few embellishments... perfection. You can find more photos and details here

I have already received my December's kit. It is absolutely beautiful and I can not wait to start creating with it. I know I will have lots of memories to document next month.

Thanks for stopping by!!



Handmade Halloween

I have always wanted to be the mom that made London's Halloween costume each year. I just love how cute, creative, and different handmade costumes are. I usually wait until the last minute to start actually making her outfit each year, which makes the whole process so much more stressful then it needs to be. In the end, when I see how cute my little London looks, all the stress is totally worth it.


So far London has been a ghost, a kitty, and a bee. Ok, so I'll admit the bee is mostly store bought (because that skirt and cute little headband were soooo cheap.) I did however make her wings and her neckless which I think are the perfect little finishing touch.

Picking out what London will be each year is half the fun. By the time September hits I find myself searching Pinterest for the perfect choice. This year when that time came I decided to let London in on the process. She had it narrowed down pretty quickly to Woody from Toy Story and Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. 


In the end she decided on Jake, and I still can't get over how cute she looked.

London was so particular about all the pieces of her costume. It seriously was the cutest thing ever and made me smile so much. My Mom helped with her vest, and by help I mean she sewed the whole dang thing. London was so happy with how everything turned out. I can't hardly wait for next years Halloween to get here.

So on to the next holiday and the next project. This year I am going to be participating in Cathy Zielske's 30 days of Thankful. I plan on doing an album share some time in December. 

Thanks for stopping by!!

October Faves


1. I am loving my new Kikki K planner. I haven't really used it yet, but have bought a bunch of inserts, and stickers for it. I'll be sure to do a blog post when I get it set up.

2. I have been choosing to put a little make up on lately. One of my go to products is my Nars Laguna bronzer. I think it just brings everything together and adds a really pretty warmth to my face

3. Black polka dot washi, you just can't get any better than that. I got this to use in my planner and I can already tell it will be a go to choice for me. 

4. This Nivea chap stick is the best. The olive oil and lemon flavor is my favorite, but milk and honey is a close second. I find them at Ulta.

5. I started watching Parks and Recreation after my Brother and Mom recommended it. I was hooked after watching just a few episodes. It didn't take me long to finish all the seasons. 

What are some of your Netfilx faves?? I would love to add some to my list!


Thanks for stopping by.

October | Felicity Jane

I have had so much fun working with my Felicity Jane kit this month. I still am over the moon about being on the creative team. Here are the two projects I made for the Felicity Jane blog this month.


Every month I like to focus at least one of my layouts around the "theme" of the month. I love this picture I took of London on her first day of dance, and I definitely think it fit the "That One Day" theme. You can find more details and a process video for this layout here.


The second layout I did was a fun story about London's little sandals. I love how this page has a fall feel to it, but looks a little girly because of the little touches of pink. More details, plus a process video can be found here.

I still have plenty of fun things to make a few more pages, so I am definitely not done with this kit. I have a few more stories in mind to tell as well.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Some Days Are Hard


Most days it is easy to forget that London has a heart defect. Some days though, it hits me like a ton of bricks. Today was one of those days.


Banning Lane | Some Days Are Hard

I will always remember the week that London was born like it was yesterday. I remember feeling almost numb. Everybody was just living life, but my whole world had just come to a screeching stop. That feeling really didn't go away for a good year or so. The hardest part of the whole thing was that that doctors really couldn't tell us what was in store for London's little life. We were definitely in good hands, and her team of doctors had a really good plan, but it was the unknown that kept me up at night.

London is now almost four. The days that were once spent going to cardiology check ups, therapy appointments, and weigh ins with her dietitian are now filled with all kinds of crazy little girl adventures. She runs, and plays just like any other little three year old. In fact, unless you catch a glimpse of her scar, you would never know that anything was ever wrong with her. 

Because she has such a normal little life, it's always a little surprising how anxious I get in the days that lead up to her yearly cardiology appointments. I know that we have so much to be thankful for, and that for the most part London is doing really well. But I also know, it is at these appointments that we will learn if something isn't going quite right. That is why I can't sleep the week before her appointment. That is why I say a million little prayers on the car ride to the hospital, and that is when it hits me that my little girl has a heart defect. 

This part of London's life is hard, and sometimes really scary. No matter how many echo's, EKG's, heart cath's, or lung scan's she gets, it will always take my breath away to look at photos like these. Even now, it just doesn't seem real. But this is part of her story, and I thank God everyday that she is mine. 

For the record, everything came back fine. Her cardiologist is really happy with her progress, and says he will see us again in one year!

Project Life | Week 38

Banning Lane | Week 38

I am really behind on my Project Life album. I had a "catch up" plan that just wasn't really working, and I found myself getting farther and farther behind. I finally decided I needed a new "catch up" plan.

This project is really only fun for me when I am up to date on my album. So last week when I sat down to scrapbook, I decided that I would just work on the most current week. I found myself getting excited about this project again.

My new "catch up" plan will be this. Scrapbook the most current week first. When I have extra time I will go back and complete a week that still needs to be done from a few months back. I think this will be the best approach, and I am ok with having a gap in my album for now.

So here is my week 38


Banning Lane | Week 38


At the beginning of the year I decided to use title cards from One Little Bird, and I absolutely love them. I usually recolor them in Photo Shop Elements to match the color of my spread each week.

Banning Lane | week 38

I used a combination of cards from One Little Bird, and the Becky Higgins core kit Jade Edition.

I usually print most of the cards I use from home, so the corners end up being squared. The Becky Higgins Project Life cards come with rounded corners. It does not really bother me to mix the two.

Banning Lane | Week 38

The "give thanks" is a digital brush that I got from Ali Edwards. You can find the set here. I really like the way it looks on this photo I took while we were camping.

If you want to see how this whole layout came together, you can watch it over on my YouTube channel, or right here.


London's School Album

A couple of weeks ago, my little girl went to her very first day of pre school. It was a pretty big day for all of us, and one that I will never forget.

I knew that I wanted to document the story of that day, so I made sure to take a lot of pictures of all the sweet little details. London was so excited to go to school, and it was just so fun to see 

"Banning Lane | School Album"


For London's school album I decided to use an 8.5x11 We R Memory Keepers album. I also knew I wanted to use pocket pages. They just seemed like natural choices for an album like this

I picked out a favorite photo of London, and enlarged it to use on the left side of my layout. For the right side I took all those little detail shots and slid them into a 9 pocket page protector. 

Most of the products I used came from my Ali Edwards Story kits, and my Felicity Jane kits. I love how the softer colors came together to make a really pretty and girly layout. 


"Banning Lane | School Album"

I have seen a lot of people do a back to school "interview" and I really like the idea of that. It will be fun to see how London's answers change from year to year. Plus I thought it would be a great way to fill up the reverse side on the nine pocket page protector. 

I typed up eight questions to ask London. I then cut them into strips and taped them on to plain white card cards. I decided to put a picture in the center pocket, and I really like how the whole page looks.

For the right hand side I wrote down a bunch of things I want to remember from that day on a piece of 5x11 paper. I got the idea for the design of the layout from Ali Edwards. She did a very similar layout for one of her Story Kits themes and I absolutely love the way it turned out. 

Banning Lane | School Album

The last thing I added to the album is a picture that London painted on her first day of school. I will also be adding a picture of London and her teacher. I just have not taken one yet. 

My plan is to just collect things as London brings them home from school. I don't know if I will add things as I get them, or just update this album at the end of the year. My hope is that I can fit all of her school years into one album, so I know I will have to be a little picky about what actually makes it into the album. We will see how that plan works!

I do a quick album share in the video below, and on my YouTube channel.

Septembers Top Five

I thought it would be fun to do a favorites post at the end of every month. Here are Septembers.
Banning Lane | Septembers Faves

1. I have been binge watching Ally McBeal on Netflix. I can't believe Billy died. I had always hoped the Ally and him would get together.

2. Diet Pepsi from a can. In the morning its the first thing I want. I hope to break that habit soon.

3. I have been LOVING instagram lately. If you're not following me you should (@banninglane)

4. Tony Moly lip balm is the best. I usually put in on before I go to bed, and after my morning shower.

5. I just don't think I could scrapbook without my sewing machine. Its definitely a go to technique for me.

What are your current favorites?



Felicity Jane | Project Life "Title Page"

I am over on the Felicity Jane blog today with a pocket page spread. I love how perfect the cut apart 3x4 cards were for a title page for my album.


Pop on over to FelicityJane.com to see the full spread, plus a quick process video.

Thanks for stopping by!

Felicity Jane | "Red Couches" Layout


Banning Lane | Felcity Jane "Feels Like Home"

When I got my Felicity Jane "Feels Like Home" kit, I knew I wanted to do a layout about what feels like home to me. I knew that my red couches would be the perfect thing to document. We have had them for so long, and they hold so many of our stories. 

Hop on over to the Felicity Jane blog to check out my layout. I also have a process video 
over there as well as on my YouTube channel.

Felicity Jane - Be You

I am so excited to tell you that my first official Felicity Jane design team layout is up on the Felicity Jane blog. I had so much fun working with the new "feels like home" kit. 

Here is a little peek at my layout:

Banning Lane | Felicity Jane "feel like home"



Head on over to the FJ blog to see my entire layout, plus a few more close ups. While you are there, be sure to check out all the great projects that the other design team members are doing. 

P.S. I am aware that I really only blogged about my "week in the life" project through Wednesday. I'm not totally sure what I am going to do about that. More than likely I will make a video of my finished album. I will of coarse be posting that video to my blog. Sometimes life gets busy, and I am ok with that! 

Hello Wednesday



I am still hopeful that I will complete this project. This "un-normal" week is making it hard to document life this way. 

Here are Wednesday's words and photos



I woke up at 9:30. I could hear Jake and the Neverland Pirates playing on the TV, so I knew Tony and London were awake. I went to bed the night before without washing my face, and when I woke up this morning that is the first thing I wanted to do. 

I was pretty tired when I woke up and considered for just a moment to climb back into bed for a few more minutes. I could hear London ask Tony if I was awake. She must have heard the movement upstairs. I decided to go downstairs and have breakfast with her.



Tony had to take his brother back to his truck early this morning. I wasn't surprised that he stopped to pick up donuts on his way home. London and I both like maple bars.



This morning we had to run a few errands, so after breakfast we headed upstairs to get ready. While we were in Seattle, London managed to walk out of Lush with all 5 colors of fun. ( It's really awesome play-doh that is also bubble bath.) She picked the blue to play with today.



Our first stop was to drop off my mom's purse by the office where Katy works. London always likes to see her Aunt Katy. 



Next stop was to the beauty supply store. Tony and London stayed in the car, so I did my best to just get what I needed and not look around too much. It was hard.



I spotted this pretty pink polish on my way out and new I had to have it. I thought it would be perfect for London to wear to her first day of dance class. I showed it to her in the car on the way home, and she loved it. I do love my girly girl



We have a handful of things that we always get at Costco, and Tony usually picks those things up on his way home from work. 

Today we were with him. 

London spotted some watermelon, and it was pretty clear we were not getting out of the store without it. She loves watermelon.



Great Harvest is right by Costco, and we were all hungry after our busy morning, so we stopped in for some sandwiches.



London always has a hard time when she has to take a nap right when we get home, so I let her watch one Curious George before heading off to her bed. 

She still had a hard time with it.



After nap, we decided to go down to the park to play. It is always so fun to see London play and climb on the toys because it is something that she hasn't always been able to do. 

She found a friend pretty quickly today and it was so much fun to see them run around and play together.



Tony warmed up some taco soup for dinner, while I finished a project that needed to get done.



London worked on sorting her beads. 


We usually will let London pick something to watch on TV while we eat. Before I had kids I would have never guessed that this would be the case. Things change, and at the end of the day it is a balance between what you want your life to look like, and what actually works. London has a history with eating, and we do what we need to do to keep her strong, and healthy. 



When Tony is home he does the night time routine. London usually get to watch 2-3 episodes of Curious George before bed, before she heads upstairs to get her teeth brushed. 

Tonight she was being silly



After we brush her teeth, we read books. Lately she has been wanted to look through her Highlight magazine. She really likes the hidden picture pages.

Then it's to bed, and lights out. 


Hello Tuesday


My plan this year was to go all in with this Week In The Life project. Take a ton of photos, and write down some words. I think I am doing ok with the pictures, but this year I have not written down any words.

I also decided that I wanted to use instagram and this blog as tools to help tell the story of this week. I am mostly doing good with the instagram thing, but I am finding it difficult to keep up with my blog. This is a pretty bus,y and weird week for us so I have had less time to sit down and work on a blog post. I still want to do blog updates, they just may be a bit delayed. 

I have decided I am not going to let myself worry about the things that aren't getting done and just go with the flow. 

Here are Tuesdays photos and words.



Felix jumped on our bed bright and early this morning and wanted a good rub. He is still super happy that we are home, but I am expecting this all to change soon. He is normally a very grumpy cat.



London usually wakes us up around 7:30, but today she slept it. When Tony finally decided to get out of bed he went to her room to wake her up. I loved hearing their conversations over the monitor. She seemed happy that he was not going to work today


I stayed in bed for a little while longer. I liked to start my day by checking my Facebook, Instagram, and maybe even play a few levels of Plants vs. Zombies. Don't judge, it's my guilty pleasure.


London usually asks Tony to make her Pancakes for breakfast when he is home. Today she chose to watch Jake and the Neverland Pirates while they ate. It seems to be her favorite these days. 


London's beads were still set up from the night before. After breakfast she continued the process of organizing all of them. Today she wanted to wear her gloves as she sorted.


My desk was a mess before I left, and that mess was waiting for me when I got back. I had a lot to do today so this mess will have to wait.


Most of our morning was spent cleaning up the house. I always get a little stressed if things are messy. I don't mind a little clutter, but I hate messy.


Our schedule has been a bit off over the last few days and when we sat down for lunch it really showed. London asked for a peanut butter & jelly sandwich with apples for lunch, but she struggled to eat any of it. This is part of our story. 


After Lunch it's nap time. London is usually happy to lay down for a bit. She has always been a good sleeper.


I took advantage of London's nap, and ran some errands.

I needed to get London signed up for dance. I had all her paper work filled out so I just had to drop it off. 

While I was down at the other end of town I decided to pick up her school supply list. My heart is aching. How did she grow up so fast?


My last stop was the grocery store. Tony wanted taco soup for dinner tonight and I needed to pick up a few things that we didn't already have at home.

It is not very often that I get to go out and about without London. She is usually a pretty good girl, but errands are a bit easier, and faster when I go alone.


I was happy to get back in time to clean this mess up before Miss London woke up from her nap. 


I had a few projects that I really needed to work on. I was grateful that Tony was here to entertain London while I got them done.


around 7:30 I decided to get started on dinner. We new Tony's brother was going to be coming into town, and I wanted to make sure dinner was waiting for him when he got here.'


 While I cooked dinner, London played with her blocks. Today she chose to organize them by color.




London and I ate around 9:00, which is pretty late for us. Tony waited for his brother to get there so he could eat with him.


Tony got a call from his brother around 9:40. Eldon drives truck and he had to make a delivery to the airport by our house. He was staying at our house for the night so Tony went to pick him up. It was fun listening to these two catch up.


It was after midnight before we made it to bed. I popped into London's room to check on her before heading down the hall to my room. I always think she looks so pretty when she sleeps.