Elle's Studio June 2016 Reveal

Elle's Studio [latest crop of goodness] is available now! The colors in this release you guys, oh so good! I'm loving the bright and cheerful projects that I made with it. I'll be sharing them here and on [Instagram] throughout the weekend.

First up is a page inspired by the [tiny acrylic popsicles]...that I didn't even use on this page in the end. But still, were so cute they prompted me to scrapbook this photo of me and a SpongeBob Squarepants ice cream.

Last summer, I spent a long weekend in NYC hanging out with one of my besties. It wasn't a touristy adventure. I went to hang out with her, slip into her life for a few days, eat, hangout. I was so bad about not being a tourist, these are really the only photos I took during the trip! We didn't even get one of the two of us together!! It's like I don't scrapbook?!  But at least I got these few. 

It was a bright and hot weekend so [this month's kit] was pretty perfect for scrapping it. I created my own background using the [Shine Bright stamp set], mist splatters and also a [highlighter]. Then I just layered up the [journaling tags] and added my title. It's a simple page but all the color makes it seem less so, I think!

Also available this month are acrylic stars in [summer colors] and [patriotic colors]; an acrylic [summer] plus the [printables] and [cut file]. And the new [Sunny Days] collection is out! I'll be using it at ton this summer, I'm sure.

cheers & besos,

Lisa Frank Love

Oh Lisa Frank...how I loved your products! I had a collection of stickers, stationary, notepads, folders. The first two were completely hoarded, the later two I used at school. 

Lisa Frank was super popular doing the 80's and 90's, and this month's 80's theme at [Simple Scrapper] had me remembering all of that colorful goodness!

I went online and pulled images for this page. Each one was something I stared at nearly every day, because it was on a folder or a notebook or a binder. I vividly remember each of these! I also did some hunting around that day, for anything about Lisa Frank! But her website was and still is in development. Although, since then, I was so excited to see that she's now on instagram! [Lisa Frank Instagram]

For this layout, I wanted to include a nod to the 80's by using neon. I have these really old Studio Calico neon mini misters. So I sprayed some scrap white cardstock with each of the colors and layered them with the rest of my patterned paper strips.

I used more of the Amy Tangerine Sketchbook collection. Look at the circle flowers I cut out of one of the patterned papers! How did I now notice how awesome they were before??

I knew when I was making this page that it would face the previous [Skidamarink] layout, so I used a few of the same elements on both, to tie them together. Mainly that blue grid background and the teal with small x's. It's obviously not a double page layout, since the design isn't continuous. But in my mind they're really cohesive.

cheers & besos,

Skidamarink

Do you know this song? "[Skidamarink a-dink, a-dink, Skidamarink a-doo], I love you. I love you in the morning and in the afternoon. I love you in the evening and underneath the moon!" 

There may be nothing that transports me back to my childhood as quickly as this song. It was the theme for [The Elephant Show]. Something my brother and I watched religiously when we were little kids. I couldn't tell you anything about the show or what it had to do with elephants, but man is that song ingrained in my brain!

This month's [Simple Scrapper] theme is all about the 80's and one of the Story Starters sparked the idea for this page. I only have vague snippets of what my life was like in the 80's...in December 1989 I was only 5. So I made a page about the things I did remember: being baby sat by Great Aunt Lucy...taking trips to the "little store" for candy and treats...watching The Elephant Show on the big pillow...and loving craft and stationary supplies!

I really wanted to make the song the focal point, so I die cut it out of white cardstock and backed with this lovely watercolored patterned paper. It's big and bold and I like it!

I put together a small photo collage of images for each of the four things I had talked about in my journaling. And I used bright/bold colors in honor of the very colorful 80's! I think most everything is from Amy Tangerine's Sketchbook collection.

cheers & besos,

Inspiration Inventoried: My Sweetheart

I decided to go ahead and put together a quick Inspiration Inventoried video for this page, which was my favorite from the weekend.

Here are a few of the links I mentioned in the video:

[InkieQuill]

[ScrapStream No. 3]

InkieQuill [Heart Embellishments]

Jen Schow's [A Little Piece of my Heart] layout

Elle's Studio [Heart Digital Cut File]

And here are the still images from the page!

cheers & besos,

ScrapStream

I had so much freakin fun participating in Adele aka InkieQuill's ScrapStream No. 3! It was like cropping with a friend. I got up to my own scrapbook mischief and made five pages. I created with no rhyme or reason. Just went through some of my latest photos, printed them in sizes I thought would work (some didn't) and made pages without kits or parameters. Like I said, so much fun! 

If you're interested in watching the not live ScrapStream you can see it here [Part 1] [Part 2] I'm definitely planning to re-watch the parts I was asleep for.

I think I'll blog about one of these each day this week! So check back to find out more :)

cheers & besos,

Tell Your Story

I'm thinking this will be the title page for my 2016 album. It's a just for fun page that I made with the Fresh Start Scrapbook Circle kit. I love how it came together!

I recently organized my printed photos. I don't have a ton of them but now I'm able to find what I'm looking for, if I'm looking for something specific. It also meant that I had a good look at the photos from my childhood. I nabbed those boxes from Mama a few years ago.

One of the photos was of me on the front porch of our house. Can you see it there? I had on this blue dress with a matching blue bow. My mama says I was probably 4 in this photo. It was Easter time.

Simultaneously, I also had that very recent photo of me. I liked the juxtaposed and thought I had something there.

 

At some point, it crossed my mind that I had a 3rd photo I could use (the one in the middle). And it just happened to be sitting with this old Studio Calico rub-on that was basically a journaling prompt. It read: “I am….I can….I enjoy….I love….I think….I wonder….” So that’s what I used for my journaling.

I like this list. Some of those things have been true since I was 4 years old. Some were true at 18 and others are true at 31. And that, I think, makes this page very cool. At least to me!

I need to go back and add my age in each of the photos. I’m surprised I didn’t do that in first place! But looking back at it now, I’m realizing that’s what’s missing.

I really do love how this page turned out. And even though it’s kind of just a random page, I think I’m going to use it as my 2016 title page.

Tessa blogged about this over on the Scrapbook Circle blog if you'd like to read more.
cheers & besos,

Music?! Meh...

Hiya! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. I have the latest from Simple Scrapper to share today.

This month's theme was music. I will admit to you now, I'm pretty musically challenged. It's just not my thing. (More of a visual person, hence this hobby!!) I don't hate music. But I also only kind of like music.

The music I do listen to is limited and all over the place. There's really no rhyme or reason to it.  So this page was a compilation of the 10 records I listen to over and over again.

I also wanted to be sure to mention that today is the last day to sign up for Stash Bash! You guys, I'm so excited to jump into this event. I've found myself getting more excited as the week has gone by. Click here for more info!

 cheers & besos,

Family Everyday

I made this page back in August, but am only just now getting around to sharing it with you!! It was one of the 5 pages I did in the morning before Lauren's birthday party (see the rest of them here).

We did a potluck for friend's Christmas last year and I got to snap photos of everyone. These were absolutely some of my favorites. The lighting was perfect, the subjects were cute, their clothes were fun colors. Sigh…yes everything just jelled. To highlight the series, I made a quick photo collage in PSE.

The embellishing ended up being super simple. Just a banner across, cut with my Papertrey Ink banner builder dies, some twine, a die cut and some Thickers. Viola!

cheers & besos,

January Project Life

It's done! It's been done. I just ended up photographing the pages 3 different times because things kept going wrong! But it's done now and here for you to see =)

It's been two straight months and I'm still not sure how much I like this project. I mean I like it when it's done. But it takes sooo much time! And it means that I can't make layouts. Which is still my number one love.

Basically, I'm ambivalent. I'll keep with it for now. But I'm not sure I can make it through the full year. We shall see.

This first page was inspired by Elsie Larsen's title page. I loved the two photos plus the pretty cards. And I really really wanted to get some gold on here. The title and stars are on a transparency.

I used some of Shanna Noel's January BYOC cards from The Lily Pad and a freebie digital template from Jennifer Wilson at Simple Scrappers.

I went hunting for bits of purple and did some watercoloring on the grid side of a card.

My mama sent me the cutest card so I added some tabs directly to the little pocket and right in the middle of these two pages. I loved that it had the orchid purple flowers that tied in so well with those cards!

I was so confused about what to do with this page but I really love how the winner card came together. I also had a few more stories I wanted to tell but not enough photos or things to say so I cut down a 4 pocket page to two pockets.

I drew and then watercolored a card since I didn't have any photos of us having drinks. It might be my favorite card!

I made the top insert card by layering tape onto a white piece of cardstock.

And I got the idea for the AM/PM cards from Stephanie Baxter...I think.

I used some of my Paislee Press printables and more water colors for the Road Trip spread. 

I made the 4x6 insert card using these great Lindsay Letters stamps and some yellow and mint inks.

Writing around my feet was an idea I got from Molly Frances.

This spread is super busy to me. But I really like the date night one! I love these frame templates by Cathy Zielske. I have started to use them on a few projects, but I don't think any of them have actually ever been finished. I cut them up to next to nothing, but I got to use them!

And the final page is a full print of a photo of me and Mac. I overlaid one of the Sugar Rush png cut files. I played a bit with the opacity, and when it was printed I painted the "I heart U" with white paint.

Done until next month! I'll have to write a post about my process soon.

cheers & besos,