Yaya-Dear Lizzy Mini

Remember how weeks ago I promised to share my completed Dear Lizzy mini? Well today I'm finally doing that.

It features Crate Paper gorgeousness and my favorite photos of one adorable little man!

Thank you for stopping by =)

xxbesos

The Good Life Review

Look at this sweet shirt I made! Using my newly discovered favorite technique, the reverse applique, as pioneered by Amy Tangerine.

Since I was sharing my new shirt today, I thought I'd take the chance to write a quick review of The Good Life class, where I learned how to make it.

What I learned/liked:

• This awesome reverse applique technique
• A new watercolor technique
• The lovely Amy! She's a sweet lady, there's no denying that :)

What I did not like:

• The price point $45!!
• Aside from the 2 techniques listed above, I didn't get much out of it. The class was more idea driven and let me show you how I put this page together-esque. Which is great, but I can see all of that for free on Amy's blog

If this class comes around again, and you're considering it here's what I think in summation:

Before spending the $45, purchase Amy's Get those Creative Juices Flowing class from Big Picture Classes. It's the same kind of style/vibe. I felt like both classes didn't have a lot of meat (i.e. techniques) to them, so to speak. But have more "big picture" (no pun intended) type ideas and philosophies behind them.

I think what drews me in is Amy's amazingly graphic style. I love the look of her pages! But I don't want to pay to see how she makes them.

The format was also a bit disjointed. I wish that all of the Week 1, Week 2, etc. content was together in one place. Rather than all of the videos are on one tab, all of the handouts on another, the weekly message on yet another.

While I'm a superfan of all things Amy Tangerine, and absolutely adore her products, I most likely won't be taking another class.

E-mail me if you have any specific questions!

Oh, and if you're wondering what EC1V refers to, it's my old post code from when I lived in London =)

xxbesos

Fall Birthday Card

Happy Monday everyone! I don't know about you, but I still don't feel like I've gained an hour. Maybe only a half hour at best ;)

But I spent Sunday morning craft this fall inspired birthday card for Matt's mom. Her birthday is coming up and he asked if I could make her one.

I asked him what her favorite color is, if there's anything that she collects or likes and he couldn't give me anything (typical boy!) so I just decided to make something pretty.

I used the Studio Calico Field Guide kit, the first opportunity I had to actually cut into it.

A Crate Paper journaling card is the base, since Matt's mama likes to cook. And the rest is just yellow, orange and green details.

I also did a bit of stamping on the envelope. Those too often get neglected!

xxbesos

Hello Friend *Mini

Hello Friends! =)

Just had to share this mini/birthday card I made for my bestie Sarah. The wee little one turned 26 a few weeks ago and I wanted to send her something special.

Sarah and I were roommates when we lived in London. And by roommates, I mean we actually shared a room. A tiny room in 2 different flats. Thank goodness we liked each other!

I wouldn't say it was love at first sight. In fact, I was seriously doubting this whole living in London with no one you know for that first week and a half. But eventually we came around to each other.

Must have, the photo above was taken at my birthday party, only a month after we'd met. She's a bad influence. She was trying to get me to smoke a cigarette.

Even after we all up and moved to Thailand we were still just as close. So close we embarked on a month long Asian/European odyssey with each other.

I'll never forget spending Christmas on the beach in Indonesia, laying around reading the entire Twilight series. And then going to see the first movie in Malaysia, only to have the kissing scene cut out of the film!! And then spending New Year's Eve together with the boyfriends in London that year.

She took care of me when I was sick (cough hung-over cough...) and made sure I ate! Even if all I did eat was a tomato, then an avocado cut with up only salt. She taught me how to cook...? I think. And I'll never forget burning pasta ;)

We have a million and one crazy memories.

She is an amazing friend and I miss her every single day.

xxbesos

yoU

**Giveaway Closed but comments still opened**

My nephew's name is Urijah. It's not your typical name, not many start with "U". You say it Ur-I-Yuh. The "J" is pronounced like a "Y". Try to say it with my last name, where the "J" sounds like an "H" and you're sure to be confused! Which is why my older generation relatives have trouble pronouncing it. One of my Grandpa's just calls him Baby Johnny. The other calls him "You".

When I originally started scrapbooking his life, I never quite knew how to word the journaling. Sometimes I wrote about him in the 3rd person, sometimes I wrote from my perspective. And then somewhere along the way, I just starting writing all of my journaling to him, an 80+ love love letter to my favorite little man.

I thought it was clever to just use a "U" every time the "y-o-u" word was needed, since his first initial is a "U". And it just stuck.

So the second I came across this layout on the Studio Calico board, I knew I had to lift it in some way.

Here's my take:

I LOVE this new collection from American Crafts! Next to the Amy Tangerine line, it's my favorite of the latest releases. The colors in it are fabulous. I love the muted tones and the green/blue/orange combo. Being a paper fiend, I had to have every piece!

Speaking of paper fiends, have you made a stop by Shimelle's Pretty Paper Party? If not I definitely think you should! I used Day 2's (there's so much content this is as far as I've got!) prompt to start this page off. Oh, and if you're interested in this class, I'd keep reading... ;) ;)

I loved the diagonal element in the inspiration page, and this pretty sheet, which featured all of the great colors, was the perfect launching point for my layout.

The photos I used were just everyday shots of my little man. There's no big story here, he was just playing, getting in and out of a box we had lying around the apartment. The possibilities for these photos of his sweet little face and round chubby cheeks were endless!

Digging into my letter sticker stash helped me to realize how many sizes, shapes, textures, thicknesses and variety I have in that department! Next to paper, letter stickers are my favorite product.

For this page, I tried to balance all of the different sizes, fonts and colors to include that cute Dr. sUess poem that so reminds me of this little guy.

And, since the letter stickers are fairly flat, I made sure the flags sticking out of from under the photos, were raised to give the page some dimension.

There's my page! It's been forever and a day since I've actually been crafty. This felt real good to make. Especially since I didn't have any idea about what I was going to do with these photos, just that I needed to make something! That's the beauty of having a Pinterest board. Endless inspiration!

So if you've stuck it out this far, I just wanted to extend an extra special thiank you to you. And a thank you to everyone who comes back and reads my poorly updated blog!

In honor of this being my 100th blog post of the year, and this being my 101 layout I've created this year, I'd like to do a special giveaway!

One of my lovely blog reads will win an invitation to Shimelle's Pretty Paper Party! Yes, the class has already started and you might not get the daily e-mail prompts. But all of the content will be there! And believe me, this content is worth it! There is a lot of it. You'll also have access to the message board. I personally didn't even sign up until last week and don't feel like I've missed out.

To enter to win, leave me a comment telling me something that makes U, you!

[And also a way to get the message to you if you don't mind. If you'd rather not share your e-mail address, please e-mail me at paperheart[dot]project[at]gmail[dot]com]

U have until Wednesday, November 9th 11:59 pm CT to leave a comment for the chance to win. I can't wait to hear about what makes each of you Unique!

xxbesos