Elle's Studio Spring Sale

It's happening! Head over to Elle's Studio to shop the spring [sale]! There are grab bags and individual items on mega discount.

While I was at it, I thought I'd share a page I made using this month's Elle's Studio [sketch]. As I'm a huge fan of circles, I totally loved this sketch! I rotated the elements 90 degrees and so much fun layering my photos, acrylic words and stamped pieces.

I completely loved the "We are living our Adventure" journaling tag from the [April kit]. But couldn't make the 3x4 size work. So I just cut out the sentiment placed it along the bottom of my photo. Totally made it work!

I used the [Travelouge stamps] and the [Go, See, Do acrylic words] to embellish this page.

And I used the arrows from the [puffy stickers] pack to help guide your eye around the page. Hands down, puffy stickers have to be my favorite type of embellishment!

cheers & besos,

Family Portraits

This was the last and final page I made during the [InkieQuill] [ScrapStream] this past weekend. It was totally fun and super simple to make!

I was inspired by the shirt Joyce aka Matt's mama (as if you couldn't tell!) was wearing. It was stripped navy and had these great white flowers across it. So I pulled out some navy scraps from my scrap drawer and a few red washi tapes and stuck them down to my background paper.

I cut out some white leaves and placed them behind the photos, curling towards the edges of my page. My title was cut with the Silhouette using the print and cut feature. Although it didn't cut out quite right (i.e. what I was seeing on my screen didn't match the end result) I still went with it.

I added a few blue and red buttons and brads and some silver mist just along the sides and was done! I love it when a pages comes together quickly and easily.

As if you couldn't already tell, I had so much fun playing alongside Adele during the ScrapStream. I can't wait for the next one, which is scheduled for iNSD! This year I'll actually be able to join in on some NSD fun!

cheers & besos,

Never Bored

I've had this idea in my head for a bit now, and I'm so glad I got it into the scrapbook! This was the fourth page I made during the [InkieQuill] [ScrapStream] this past weekend. It's a super simple page using some of my newest stash: [Pink Paislee C'est la Vie 6x6 Paper Pad] [Pink Paislee C'est la Vie Washi Sheet with Foil Accents] [Pink Paislee C'est la Vie Printed Chipboard] [Illustrated Faith Created to Create kit]

I was inspired by Adele's art journaling, so I decided to use a stencil and some modeling paste just under where I knew the photos would go. It adds this great tone on tone texture and is just what this fairly flat and simple layout needed.

Pops of color, gold, enamel dots, patterned paper...check. check. check and check! All of my favorites in one super simple page.

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,

Play Outdoors

This was the 2nd page I made during the [InkieQuill] [ScrapStream]! I challenged myself a bit with this one. I have one box of embellishments that I rarely open up. It has all of my 3-dimensional and miscellaneous embellishments, lots of flowers but also things like the kite, leaves and oversize wood veneer. I decided that I wanted to try to use some stuff from that box on this page.

After working on a [page with a very clear direction], I was happy to just play around with some fun embellishments to figure out something that would work.

I started by trimming 1/4 in. strips of an old Studio Calico patterned paper and framing my photo with them. Then I dipped the photos edges in brown paint, something [Nicole Harper] use to do. Next, I decided to mat my photo with white cardstock, but didn't have the right size so I improvised with two scraps. They're intentionally jaunty.

When I printed this photo at 6x8, I envisioned writing my journaling directly on the photo in the grass. But I decided my title would look better there. I thought it needed something though, so I used some roller stamps and white and gold ink to stamp directly onto the photo. It's subtle, but you can see it much better IRL.

For the title, I decided to use these [whimsical letters] I purchased from [Just Nick.] No better font to cut out the word "play" from! I layered up all of the embellishments I pulled from my embellishment box in the bottom right hand corner of the photo and added my few lines of journaling just below.

Of all the pages I made, I think this one is least like my usual style. But I still really really like it! Tomorrow I'll share the heart page, so check back for more details about it!

cheers & besos,

Dixon

Hiya folks! Coming to you live from a flooded Houston. Our household is safe and reasonably dry, we have to venture out with the dog from time to time.  The rain has stopped at the moment but they're predicting more over the next few days. Which is a bit scary as we desperately need the water to recede. It's currently 6pm and they're still rescuing people from flooded areas! Here's hoping for safety!

But on to the scrapbooking portion of today's blog post. This was the first page I made while watching InkieQuill's ScrapStream.  That oh-so-fun event I participated in this weekend!

I had a flash in my brain the other day, an idea for a layout. I saw a word repeated over and over again in different colors on the right side of the page and photos in a column on the left. So that's what I made!

I used the Museo Slab font for the title. In the Silhouette software I repeated "dixon" in five different sizes. I placed them on the canvas where I wanted them to be and then outlined the whole thing. This, I cut out of white cardstock.

I pulled five different patterned papers in some of the colors of that stripe on the left side (an old Crate Paper) and cut out the individual "dixon"s. I tried to mix up the patterns and used a grid, a chevron (of sorts), a floral, a triangle pattern and a polka dot. Everything came out of my scrap drawer!

For embellishing, I stuck with arrows and hearts. Arrows because the character on the Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon, who our Dixon was named after, uses a crossbow. I pulled wood veneer and puffy stickers and then I hand stitched a few arrows using gray crochet thread.

I like how the page come together. Though it isn't as good as the idea had in my head. Either way I'm happy to see it in real life! Tomorrow, I'm sharing the "Play Outdoors" layout. Stop by for that!

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,

Weekends at No. 1152

I’m so excited to share this page! It’s one of my favorites from the year. I love the design and the color scheme (so not my usual). The moments that were captured (me helping Matt cook!). And all of the fun Elle’s Studio products I used (puffy stickers!!).

Can I just say that I love the dash of purple Elle included in the Little Moments collection. Dear manufacturers, more purple please! I think adding it in small doses helped make this mage so much more fun!

I started out by making the 12x12 layout, using a Simple Scrapper sketch (due out in May!). It was originally a double page layout. But I decided to shrink all of the elements down and overlap them a bit to make a single page.

One of my favorite parts is the bisected background. I love that angle! It isn’t very harsh, but definitely adds some visual interest. I die cut the title from the white cardstock and backed it with an ombre pattern from the Little Moments paper stack. 

This page is actually an update to one I did last year. It was called Saturdays at No. 1152. Back then we had a cat and no dog. Now we have a dog and no cat. I think it’s so important to document these kinds of things, because you never know how much can change in a years time!

Having the other layout in mind, I decided to print my photos to look like the instax photos I had used before. I stamped labels below each photo and then “Perfect Weekend” (a stamp from this month’s Elle’s Studio release) below each. Then I added a simple note describing each of our perfect weekends.

The embellishing was simple, a tag from the monthly kit, Sat and Sun acrylic pieces and three wee puffy stickers (swoon!). I dropped just a tiny bit of teal and purple mist to finish the page.

And I thought I was done. I thought what I’d made was enough. But then I started flipping through the stack of journaling cards in the monthly kit and I saw that “Notes from the Weekend” one and knew I needed to use it!

I decided to add a 6x12 divided page protector alongside my main layout. I started with the notes from the weekend card, this time I journaled about this specific weekend which happened to be Easter.

We didn’t do much in the way of celebrating. The only way we marked the occasion was by making and eating Matt’s Grandma’s wedding soup. The top photo is of the two of us rolling tiny meatballs for the soup.

I journaled on the “File this Under:” card and made my own 3x4 card using paper from the Little Moment’s paper stack and a few puffy stickers.

cheers & besos,

Dreaming of Sunshine

It's the 10th today!! Which means, the latest Elle's Studio monthly kit is out! Along with a few fun goodies and the new design team projects!! Head over there to nab your loot, while the kit is on sale for $9.99. After midnight PST, the prices increase to $11.99. So save some pennies while you have the chance :)

Here's a divided page protector spread I put together using the kit. I don’t use divided page protectors in the traditional sense i.e. Project Life. Really, they’re just another tool in my creative arsenal. If it makes sense to tell the story in this format, then I will! I don’t think too much about it.

I chose a divided page protector because I really loved so many of the cards in this month’s kit. Four of them fit went really well with the story I was wanting to tell, and I threw a fifth in for fun and color!

Lately, I’ve been going through a bit of a hard time. I’ve dealt with anxiety and a bit of depression since I hit puberty. It fortunately, has not been a daily issue for much of my life. There have been months and years when it hasn’t been part of my life. But the older I get, the more these issues seem to decide to make themselves known. This last round of anxiety has lasted longer than any before. Obviously, it’s weighing heavy on my mind, so I can’t help but document it.

I thought the “dreaming of sunshine” card was such a great metaphor for my current situation. I’m truly dreaming of more sunshine, or in this case, a happier and more calming state of mind. I love that Elle included a card that highlights that not every day is “happy” or “the best!” The “This was not my day” card was great for adding my journaling. And I thought the “Weather Report” went really well with the set, continuing on with the weather metaphor.

One of my favorite products from this month’s release were the puffy stickers!!! The “real life” one was perfect for this page. It’s kind of hard to tell from the photo, but the “true story” is an acrylic word. This is one of the truest stories I’ve told in awhile, so I had to use it.

I added some thought bubbles directly onto my photo in white ink. It’s kind of hard to see them but I like that. It’s just some texture, and a bit of a visual cue as to what my head looks like right now. Crowded!

For anyone who’s concerned, I appreciate it. But truly I’m doing ok. Taking a lot of steps to get better. And really just moving forward and working towards a brighter April.

I’m still here. I’m still scrapbooking. I’m still making time to be creative!

cheers & besos,

Thai Temple

Refresh is launched for the season! For Day One's assignment I decided to tackle a page from my unfinished box. There aren't too many pages in there. More than 10 less than 20 or so. 

Awhile ago, I printed out these photos from a temple I visited in Thailand. I had originally intended to scrapbook them with a kit but then decided, adding too much product would overwhelm these already detailed photos. So I put them in the box with two sheets of Kraft cardstock, to complete another day.

Today was the day! Here's the finished page:

Day One's assignment had a specific time limit. Well, I took more than the time allotted. Ok, like a lot more time than was allotted! But I'm ok with that. I don't want to rush this process. For me the fun part is hemming and hawing over the details until I get it just right. And today I had time to do that, so why not, right?

I used Elle's Studio Travelogue Journaling Tags, Labels and Stamp Set + the Jonah Alphabet Stamp. Love that guy! I used black and two shades of gray ink for the stamping, which ended up being the only embellishing for the left side of the page.

It was fun to just create for the sake of creating! I love that every Refresh (and really just about every event Jennifer hosts) gets kicked off with a bit of creative time. It's why we're all participating, right?

cheers & besos,