Curious Cat

Someone was very interested in yesterday's layout shoot. So interested she climbed into the light box. Isn't see cute?! Still so tiny but we like her that way. And yup, her tail is that short.

cheers & besos,

Jubilee: Go See Do

Do you ever just completely lose your mojo? Just aren't feeling creative even one little iota? That happens to me sometimes. Its been happening to me the last few weeks!! (Which is not helpful as I'm putting together my Christmas cards...)

My head just wasn't in the game for some reason. I was watching crafty videos. Browsing galleries. Trolling Pinterest. But nothing!

Then I just made something. A layout...and a sacrificial one at that. It wasn't my finest piece of work but it also wasn't the worst. And with it out the of way, I was able to create this layout. 

Creativity is like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it gets. 

Studio Calico's Jubilee kit came in the mail today (well yesterday, but I picked it up today). There's just something about receiving new goodies in the mail, and especially scrapbook goodies! I spread everything out to pour over it and then went to iPhoto to pull photos I thought would work. 

These snaps from my trip to Chicago this summer were the most inspiring to me. So I started there. I added a few of the brushes to the main one, along with text filling in some of the details.

I didn't know what I wanted to do with this page other than that I'd like to try out this design. Sam's (aka WaiSam) layout was what I had in mind. But I also had Jina Jean's layout pinned, which is where Sam's inspiration originally came from. All I went off of was separating my page into three bits, lining things up along the top and bottom edge and adding a simple title in the middle. 

I didn't look at either of their layouts until this page was finished. I didn't want to be very influenced. I just knew I wanted to try out this design!

This ended up being a no patterned paper layout, but I didn't mean for it to be! I even intended to use some of the Project Life cards. But once I started stamping and filing things in, I kind of ran out of room for any paper.

The title was the very last thing I added to this page. I made sure to cut out some of the fabulous designs that came with the kit & the class. I cut them all out of white cardstock with the intention that I would mist or paint or ink them. But of course I never do! There's just something about a crisp white.

Also, I only adhered the top loop of the "g" down so the rest would be floating. I like the dimension it adds.

Stamps, gelatos, sequins, printables, wood veneer, cork stars, mist splatters, hand stitching. I threw it all at this page. Circles are the primary design element since there's some great polka dots painted on these guys. [Link to article on the exhibition]

And, I didn't want to box out the page too much. Plus, I like circles! And there are some great circle stamps in the kit.

And so I think I'll call an end to my lack of mojo. Thank goodness!! I'm loving this page. I'm loving my new kit. And I'm loving that I'll have some down time this week to make some pages =)

In case I don't update before then, have a Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow USA-ians.

cheers & besos,

Superpower #2

Elephants are my favorite animal. Did I ever mention that? It's true. I love them. They're adorable and kind, intelligent and emotional. In my opinion, the best animals on the planet (aside from my kitten of course). They also have long memories. Which made them the perfect representation for one of my superpowers!

We all have superpowers. I have exactly two. Two things that I'm better at than the average person. And one of them is my memory. 

I was pulling out of a parking spot the other day, paying attention to my driving but otherwise zoning out. I must have been remembering something because it struck me as one of those "there you go again" moments. One of the times that something very old and totally random popped into my head. You see, my superpower even surprises me at times.

And I thought to myself, I need to make a page about that.

Here it is and I have to say I'm in love with my ellie! Isn't she gorgeous?!

As I was sitting there thinking about the page I would make, I knew that I wanted to have her pieced together from different patterned papers. Don't know why, but I knew that's how I would make her.

I purchased an elephant cut from the Silhouette store and edited & sliced it up into a bunch of pieces using the Silhouette software. I tried to make sure that most of the pieces were smaller than 2x2in so that it'd be easy to put down a bunch of 2x2in squares on the cutting mat.

I had just visited Archivers and grabbed a few sheets of the new Printshop line. So I was dying to cut into it. They have nothing to do with the theme of this page, and that's 100% ok with me. They're just so pretty all together!

I hand wrote my journaling directly on the page AND created my own custom cut with the help of my iPad and the Noteshelf app. This was the first time I had ever tried it and I love love LOVE how it turned out!

I opened up a blank sheet in the Noteshelf app, hand wrote "memory" a few times, saved and sent the photo to my e-mail, opened it up and traced it with the Silhouette, and then cut it out. It takes a few steps and is a bit more time consuming. But I think it's totally worth it. I'll never have to buy words again!

Let me know if its something you'd like me to create a tutorial for. Happy to do it!

And thus my love affair with the Silhouette continues. If you haven't bought one yet, you just might need to add it to your Christmas list!

cheers & besos,

Starting Points

I start pages a bunch of different ways.
Some times its because I want to scrap a particular photo.
Sometimes its because I want to play with fun product. (Or because I bought something and then felt guilty for not using it.)
Some times its for a challenge.
Some times its with a story in mind.

I started this one, because I wanted to use those awesome teepees on a page! It may have been why we made a teepee that day ;) But that page isn't about teepees. It's about Urijah and his play habits. With his autism, he tends to play alone, quietly in his own little world. It's part of what makes him, him.

I wanted to make a fun, colorful and playful page. The real jumping off point was that ombre washi. It's where I pulled the majority of my colors from and then I threw in some black and white. Loved the tribal look to that Glitz Design patterned paper. The background is very lightly stamped with one of their awesome rolling stamps. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to add more triangles.

What starts you down the road to making a page? Is it a story? A photo? Some fun product? I'd love to hear =)

cheers & besos,

Hello Baby Girl Cards

They're girly and they're soft and they go great with gold. Loved using the Wildflower collection for these hello baby cards.

Two of Matt's friends recently had little girls. So we knew we wanted to send them each a card. 

The sentiments were cut with my Silhouette, painted with watercolor papers and covered with Glossy Accents.

I stamped "baby girl" on both cards with that most awesome Pebbles Roller stamp! The big heavy duty one =) Two peas just got it in stock!

And I also used a teeny tiny stamp from the same Kelly Purkey set I used for the Simply Amazing cards.

They're very simple cards but I think the papers make them beautiful.

And that's the last of the Wildflower projects. Well, at least for now. I still have a lot left from this collection pack, but I'm saving it for the right projects. I'm sure you'll see it cropping up again soon =)

In the meantime, don't forget to comment on this or any of the Wildflower posts for a chance to win the collection pack. Doesn't matter what you comment, just as long as I can get ahold of you if you've won!

cheers & besos,

One Perfect Day

Of all the pages I made with the Wildflower collection, I think this one most captures the spirit of it. The mood, the colors, the lighting. I love it!

I drew inspiration from the Snapshots sheet and used RadLab to create a similar effect in my own photos. It also didn't hurt that Matt managed to capture some real sunbursts. I printed these out on matte photo paper instead of glossy which helped soften the look even more.

The page was really simple and easy to put together. I mainly just clustered everything in the middle of a kraft sheet of cardstock. But to add a bit of visual interest, I ran my Glitz Giant Roller stamp (its on sale right now so you might want to snap it up!) across the background using brown chalk in.

I love that the "positive" icon is becoming so popular. I love the symbolism of it. I think it also helps reinforce a more subtle theme here. It's a reminder to stay positive about this lil guy. He has autism, and while that's difficult, it doesn't have to be negative.

That's also reinforced with the "let go and let's go" journaling card. We never quite know how he's going to react to new places. If he'll feel comfortable or perhaps a bit stressed. Leaving the house isn't something we usually do. But it was such a beautiful day. We couldn't miss out on the opportunity to go to the park. So we let go and went. And we had a fun time.

[PHOTO]

I added a few journaling cards, some label stickers and a few buttons as the main dimensional embellishments. But I think what's my favorite is this "Do you know, I love you so?" banner. "You" or "U" is something I use on most of Urijah's scrapbook pages. Since his name starts with a "U" and since I write all of my journaling to "U", it reinforces that.

[PHOTO]

I think what I love most about this page, is that's it about me and him. There are actual photos of me and Urijah. These are so incredibly rare, because I'm the one holding the camera most of the time. I'm thankful Matt was around to come with me and to snap some shots.

[PHOTO]

I didn't use a lot of the Wildflower collection, just two journaling cards, a snippet of patterned paper and a sticker. But I think these itmes added a lot of impact. 

Mainly though, they helped set the tone of this page and just simply inspired me.

Don't forget to comment for a chance to win this collection pack from Carta Bella!

cheers & besos,

Simply Amazing Cards

I made some quick and easy thank you cards using the scraps from the Wildflower collection, a Two Peas cut and my Silhouette, and an older stamp set by Kelly Purkey.

The insides of these are stamped with a simple "thank you" in gold ink.

They're very simple and I love that about them =)

cheers & besos,

Love you Wild

This page is best viewed in bits and pieces. Maybe not all at once. There's a lot going on here I'll admit.

I had these cute photos of Mac that I wanted to scrapbook but didn't know quite what to say about them other then, "hey! here's a cute kitten." Somehow along the way, I figured out that I wanted to talk about how she's my first baby. The first little thing that I've ever had to take care of on my own (without mom or dad). Hence the title that I created with the help of my Silhouette.

My Silhouette got a lot of action on this page. For some reason, I got it in my head that I wanted to use ovals for this layout. It's a shape I don't normally scrapbook with so I decided to try it out. I searched "oval" in the Silhouette online store and came up with these designs. Cut them out of my favorite white cardstock (white Bazzil orange peel in case anyone is curious) and then layered them over my photos and one of the Wildflower journaling cards.

I really had no intention to include any deer on this page about my kitten, but the sentiment on the journaling card was too good to pass up. I had to include on this page about my wild little kitten whom I do love dearly.

There's yellow in the photos but not much in the collection. So I painted a rough square in the middle with this vibrant yellow color. I like that you can still see the arrowhead design through it.

I didn't realize it at the time, but afterwards considered that I had channeled my inner Wilna for this page. Roughly this particular page of hers.

The final bits were adding gold washi as landing for my journaling spots. I printed them on more of that orange peel cardstock and hand sewed them to the page with a few stitches of embroidery floss. I thought they needed some color.

This was another idea I've had floating around in my head. Tacking something down and letting the rest of it float. I'm talking about a lot of envisioning and picturing in this post. I think its the product of being away from my creating desk for so long. I had time to imagine these pages beforehand.

I added another deer at the bottom, anchored by a strip of gold washi tape. If not now, when else would I use it? Along with her name and the date. Viola!

Like I said, a lot to take in and a lil crazy. But I love it all the same. I also love how versatile this collection is. I didn't use many pieces; my background paper, a journaling card and that sticker. And yet it still mixes flawlessly with the rest of my stash.

Don't forget to comment if you wanna win it! Just a flower and your e-mail will do =)

cheers & besos,

Right Now

Morning! Happy "fall back" day to all of my USA friends. It's lovely to have this extra hour to knock off some items on the old to do list. Usually, I relish the extra hour of sleep. But I feel that the older I get, the harder it is for me to sleep in. It's cool, I like feeling productive anyway.

On to the layout sharing! 

I had so much fun with the Wildflower collection! I wanted to figure out a way to get as many of these awesome patterns as possible, together on one layout. So I took a page out of the Art + Science playbook and used a photo collage. The photo was for a blog post I did during the summer, about what I was planning to take with me to Chicago. I thought the colors in my clothes would work perfectly with the colors in the collection. 

I already had the collage put together, so I simply added a few Studio Calico brushes over top. And then I had my theme, me right now.

I printed my journaling on a gray shipping tag and slipped it behind my photo.

DOING

Recently: A two week back to back work trip. First to the UK (London, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Newcastle, London) then to Lafayette, LA

Currently: Planning for a trip to Nashville in a few weeks. Worrying about who’s going to watch Mac

WATCHING

Recently: New Girl, Mindy Project, BBC Classics’ Emma, Nashville

Currently: Project Runway All-Stars, The Walking Dead, Hostages, Harry Potter

FAVORITE

Recently: English tea (milk, one sugar), Neon Pink, Netflix

Currently: Gold, iPad, Green & Navy top, RadLab

HOPING

Recently: For a big huge break from work

Currently: A new job! A new scrapbooking design team or community to join

READING

Recently: The Signature of Things by Elizabeth Gilbert, A Fault in Their Stars by John Green

Currently: Naked by David Sedaris, The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

Much like the page I did about Urijah's Four Birthday Parties, I cut the paper down into strips the same size as my photos. Added some of the collection stickers at each corner and punched out a few flowers from scraps, using a Martha Stewart punch.

It's in these details shots that you can see the awesome texture the paper has! I mentioned it in my other post.

The final touch was a vellum banner strip and gold thickers. I think gold is the perfect neutral for this collection!

This was never a photo I planned to scrap, never a story I thought to tell. And I'm so glad that I had this collection to play with, otherwise I wouldn't have done.

I'm conscience now that I didn't actually date the page. That would have been a good idea, huh?

Wrapping up now, but don't forget to comment with your favorite flower (wild or otherwise) and a way to get a hold of you, for a chance to win the collection!

cheers & besos,

Wildflower Central *Giveaway*

Hey there! It's been awhile. I'm happy to see you =)

These last few months have been the busiest craziest most stress filled months. But there's light at the end of the tunnel. It won't be slow, but it will be slower. And that my friends, is the pace I need. So thank you, to anyone who has stuck it out with me.

Finally, I have time to scrapbook! I've been missing my paper crafting time. And completely neglecting my sweet lil blog. Not even checking my e-mails really. So much so, I nearly missed out on a completely fabulous opportunity!

The lovely Jen Gallacher e-mailed to ask if I wanted to play with Carta Bella's latest line, Wildflower by Kaitlin Sheaffer. Just look at the gorgeousness, how could I not want to dive in inky fingers first?! It took all of two seconds of reading her e-mail, for me to respond as enthusiastically as possible begging to play!

I was so excited to see it in person. I loved their last collection, Hello Again, so much I think I reviewed every sheet of it on Two Peas =) Because what you can't tell from these photos, is that it's printed on this lovely textured cardstock. It looks like watercolor paper to me. And that, my friends, makes it that much dreamier in person.

And the colors! I love the color scheme. It's quirky, pink and coral, teals and periwinkle, touches of gold. Can we pause for a second to talk about that periwinkle? It's PERIWINKLE, true and simple. It isn't a color I've seen used very much in scrapbook and I'm absolutely loving it. 

The line has this great outdoorsy/bohemian feel to it. It makes me think of Colorado when I see it. And while I don't have any Colorado photos to scrap about, I did manage to create three pages and eight cards with this feast of fabulousness.

Read more about this page here: Right Now

Read more about this page here: Love you Wild

Read more about this page here: One Perfect Day

Read more about these cards here: Simply Amazing Cards

Read more about these cards here: Hello Baby Girl Cards

I'm writing up separate blog posts to share each project with you, so expect that later and maybe even through out the week. But in case you can't tell from these pages, I had a lot of fun with this collection!

I've had fun. I think you'll have fun with it as well. The awesome Carta Bella team have been so generous to share the collection with me. And they're even more generous because they're letting me share a collection kit with one of you!

To enter to win this brand new collection, just leave a comment below (or on one of the subsequent project posts) and be sure to include an e-mail where I can get ahold of you. That's it! I'm leaving this open until 10:59 CST Thursday, November 7. I'll try to announce the winner that night or first thing Friday morning.

Best of luck! And I'll see you again in a bit

 cheers & besos,