Radiant Heart

I had a totally different idea for this page, but it turned out way better because I was inspired by the products I used!

I knew I wanted to scrapbook this photo and that I wanted to use the new [Elle's Studio Sunny Days] collection. I also envisioned lots of circles dotted around the page. So I misted up my background and used the sun from the [Sunny Days stamp set] and also the "smile" from that set, to create my own background.

I used my Silhouette to cut out a bunch of circles and I layered them around the page. I got that far and then I decided I would pull out the new [Kelly Purkey] stamp sets I'd just purchased to see if I could use a sentiment or two.

And that's the point I hit on some genius and took this page into a totally different direction. Or maybe not totally different, but definitely enhanced! Kelly's [Megababe stamp set] had so many great phrases, but I knew that I had to use "You have a radiant heart" on this page. Because that totally describes Urijah and his love for the pool!

Because I added the radiant heart sentiment, I decided to add stamped diamonds to the background, using [Something Blue Color Theory dye ink]. The "everyday magic" circles using [Deja Blue Color Theory dye ink] were the last bit I added to the background.

Because of the added stamping, my journaling took on a whole new direction! And also because of it, I decided to hand stitch those gems.

Journaling Reads:
"The pool, swimming, splashing around in the water, it brings U so much joy! U could spend hours and hours there everyday. Your mama even moved y'all to a new apartment with a great pool because she knew she was going to be spending a lot of time there with U. We love that U found something that makes sunbeams radiate out of U! Our sunshine boy!"

This page, it just makes my heart happy! It captures something so important to my nephew. It's bright and cheerful. And the journaling is so much improved by the products I used. Have to love it when that happens =)

cheers & besos,

SaveSave

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,

Me + You

My grandma is one of my most favorite people in the world. She's the sweetest, kindest little lady. Exactly how you'd picture or want a grandma to be: loving, patient, fun! 

One of my favorite memories with Nana is the time she took me, my brother and my cousin to the waterpark. They have these really high water slides that can be scary for an 8 year old. My brother and my cousin teased me mercilessly about how scary it would be, so I chickened out and left them to ride. 

I walked back to Nana and told her about it. And she assured me that they weren't that scary and said we would ride on it together. So there was tiny young me and my grandma, climbing up the several flights of stairs and riding the ride together. 

She didn't want me to miss out because I was scared. And by doing it with me, she helped me get over that fear. I spent the rest of that summer flying down the "scariest" of water slides and having so much fun!

I didn't really realize until know, that that lesson has helped me my whole life. Conquer your fear Jamie, because what's waiting on the other side of that fear might be a lot of fun.

I used the February Scrapbook Circle kit and the Circle Round up challenge to make this page. The products reminded me so much of my Nonie. She loves flowers and rarely passes on anything leopard print. So the second I saw the pink leopard print I knew I wanted to scrapbook about her. And lucky me, we took a few cute photos together at Thanksgiving last year.

The page was created for the Circle Round up challenge which is basically a recipe challenge, take a bit of this a little of that, add some sprinkles and you’re done.

But I think what I was most inspired by was the challenge image, it's a few circles layered on top of each other. I'm such a big fan of all things circles that I used it as the starting point for the page, hand cutting three large patterned paper circles to serve as the foundation for the design.

Journaling reads: 

"People say I'm like her. If that's even a little bit sure, I'll take it. She's the sweetest person I know; so very loving, generous and kind. You can't help but love Nonie!"

I photographed this page using the newly launched Shotbox. I'm still trying to figure out if I like it or not. Anyone else have one? I'd love to hear what you think and am planning to write a review in the coming weeks!

cheers & besos,

Ladies who Lunch

I was so blown away by this month's Elle's Studio kit. The colors in it..."the colors duke, the colors!" were so fun! I've been realizing lately that I don't use much green in my projects. Teal yes, green not so much. So it was fun to play with green on this page! Even if only in small ways.

Inspired by last month, I went for another 9x12 double page spread--one full layout and the other a pocket page. Which I'm rapidly realizing is really fun! The page is about a small shower we threw for my friend Kim who is due in a couple week's time. 

I knew what I wanted to do with the 9x12 layout really early on. I laid out the foundation and then stepped back. It just didn't look complete somehow. So to add more punch, I decided to create a tone on tone pattern with the Everyday stamp set and white embossing powder. It's hard to photograph, but the effect IRL is pretty awesome and it was exactly what this page needed.

To embellish, I created a visual triangle with the stamp set, enamel dots, mist and one of the great exclusive veneers! They might just be some of my favorite ever. I added one to a card for the pocket page and liked that balance. Even though the two layouts are kind of separate, I wanted them to be a cohesive unit.

For journaling, I wrote about the day and the event. And I also journaled about my two besties, Kim & Tara. Like last month, I've given myself permission to write about whatever it is I feel like expressing, regardless if it "goes" with the page or not. It's making me happier about these pages and my process. And that, friends, is what it should be about!

All of these new goodies are available in the Elle's Studio shop now! Buy the monthly kit today for $9.99 and then $11.99 after that. When they're gone they're gone. So if you're interested, jump on them quickly.

Today's also the day for the new Design Team Gallery. I'm so excited to click through and see what my fellow team members have created.

I also made a half dozen cards with the stamp set. You'll be able to see them in the gallery now but I'll blog more about them later this week.

cheers & besos,

Doublemint Twins

I hereby give any scrapbooker permission to copy any page they've ever made, and this pertains to either the design OR subject matter. That's what I did last month when I was working with the Good Cheer Scrapbook Circle kit.

Last Christmas I took a photo with my twin cousins, Nina and Mia. Looking at the photo made me remember the page I created in 2009 (left) of the 3 of us on Christmas. So I decided to make a new page (right) and call it the same thing.

This was for the Take 2 Challenge on the Scrapbook Circle blog. I lifted a page from Gina's Make it Happen gallery.

I love seeing these two pages side by side. It just helps me appreciate the passage of time. Which, I'm sure, anyone with children already knows all about.

Since I'm in San Antonio this year, I'll definitely have to snap a photo of the 3 of us tonight. It's now a little tradition!

cheers & besos,

Two Pet Household

We just got back from a weekend with my parents in San Anotnio. It was Dixie's first road trip and I think it was a success. I have a super sleepy puppy passed out on the floor as a result. That's saying something. She got to run around in a huge backyard, jump in and out of a kiddy pool, play with another little dog. Yeah, I'd say it was a success.

Meanwhile, Mac was home alone for the night. I'm sure she relished the quiet and the peace, if only for a little while. It's weird to now be at this place, thinking about two creatures instead of just one. Making sure both are healthy and happy, considering each's specific needs. It's exhausting! At least for now. I'm certain it will get better as Dixie ages. And as she and Mac continue to figure each other out.

Since scrapbooking is my therapy, I made this page talking a little bit about what life is like in a two pet household.

I used a Simple Scrapper sketch and some of the Seven Paper Baxter collection. I love the fun bright colors paired with black and white.

The border ended up being a happy accident. I "finished" the page and then place it on top of a pile of patterned paper. Not perfectly, so you could still see the pile underneath. On top was this cream and black diagonal stripe from Crate Paper (I ordered 4 sheets of it bc I thought it was so awesome). Seeing just the ends of it peaking out like that made the page look more complete somehow. So I glued it on top and cut off the excess.

I loved all of the positive messages from the Hey Girl stamp set by Mama Elephant. I thought they would work so well on this page, since we're needing a big dose of positivity up in here. These two girls are exhausting! But totally worth it.

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,

365 Epic Days

A new month means a new Scrapbook Circle kit! And since it's Scrapbook Circle's 9th anniversary, there's lots of fun and games coming up. Starting with an Instagram Round Robin. Lisa is giving away 5 kits and picking the winner from the comments on Instagram. Click here (from your phone) to visit Scrapbook Circle's instagram, where we start the game.

Here's the layout I shared on Instagram (follow me @jamieleija if you haven't already). It of course, features the adorable Mac. I used the Hello Sunshine Main kit and the Hello Love add on. The cut file is from The Cut Shoppe. I wish I had converted all of the photos to black and white, but oh well. It's done and I like it!

cheers & besos,

Here's the Story Layouts

Hiya! I'm share my latest Scrapbook Circle kit layouts. The papers in this month's Here's the Story kit were so good y'all. Soo good! I'm in love with Pinkfresh Studio designs and the kit was my first introduction to them.

I ended up creating with all black and white photos. I didn't really set out to do that, it just kind of happened. But I think unconsciously this is my way of getting to play with great bright bold colors and not worry about them clashing with my photos. It also makes them feel more graphic and I like that.

I did a few photo strip layouts and punched my pics into circles. I also made sure to use a 4x6 photo, just to go a more traditional route.

This month's printable and cut file exclusives were fun to play with. I loved the cross…is that what it is? Not sure but I'll go with it. The exclusive plastic "hello" was also the focal point of one of my pages. I'm adoring the awesome dimension and texture it adds!

I've been saving these photo booth strips from last year's trip to Portland. I was waiting for an awesome statement paper to come along that would inspire me to scrap them. This sheet totally fit the bill! I didn't have to do much to dress it up. I used two of the printable tags and a scrap of patterned paper, plus an enamel word from Pinkfresh Studio to finish it off. I'm so excited to add this to my Pacific Northwest album!

Look for the Perfectly Imperfect and Hello Old Buddy Old Pal on the Scrapbook Circle blog this month. Also check out the kit if you haven't already. It's chalk full of goodness!

cheers & besos,

Dreams vs Reality + RAK

Fresh off my post about Simple Scrapper's owner Jennifer Wilson, I thought I'd share my latest Simple Scrapper layout. It ended up being on the cover of this month's Spark Magazine!! You have no idea how excited that made me.

I've been published in a few different magazines. But getting the opportunity to share my work in Spark Magazine every month is such an honor. And on top of that, being on the cover! Let me telling you, I'm living some scrapbooking dreams y'all.

There may not be as many "traditional" scrapbook magazines out there, but if you join as a Simple Scrapper Premium Member you get a digital one chalk full of inspiration every month. And that's just one part of what it means to be part of Simple Scrapper. Y'all know I'm the biggest advocate for this community and it's no secret why. It's just that good. There's also an awesome new class coming up soon. You'll want to read to the end of this post find out more. **Hint: Giveaway info below**

Now on to the page, I used a Story Starter from February 2013 as well as a sketch from this month. If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you know how much I love circles! And this sketch called for a bunch 'o circles.

The layout is all about the hopes and dreams I had at twenty vs. my reality at thirty. I also share my hopes for forty. It was such fun journaling! I loved the little bullet points and making the lists.

I like making these big picture type pages. I like pulling together a grouping of unrelated photos, to illustrate the story. I also had fun printing a few of these photos in black and white and others in color.

I used tons of Studio Calico stuff on this page -- a lot of the embellishments came from the very beautiful Walden Add-on Baker Bridge. The background paper is from their Color Theory paper pack. I bought two packs because I thought they were such awesome neutral backgrounds.

I also had so much fun just putting this page together! It was the first time I had my new scrapbook space up and running and I was testing out how well I'd organized. I think I've finally figured out something that works for me! I'll be sharing my completed space later this month.

I can't tell you (clearly I can and do, quite often too!) how much I love being part of Simple Scrapper.  Creative team or not, I've always be inspired by the content and the community--and really, it just keeps getting better.

In March, Jennifer is putting on a brand new workshop called The Finishing Project. It's purpose is to help us tackle an unfinished project in just 4 weeks and also, to make a plan to tackle the rest. Having been a student of Jennifer's in the past, I'll bet that it's going to be amazing! You can read more about the class here.

Jennifer has generously allowed me to give away one spot in the class! 

For the chance to win, simply leave a comment below: I'd love to hear how many unfinished projects you have (Please also leave contact information so I can reach you if you win). The giveaway closes 11:59pm CST Wednesday, February 25th. I will randomly choose one winner and make the announcement on my blog Thursday, February 26th.  Best of luck!

cheers & besos,

Please note I am an affiliate of Simple Scrapper/Create More Media. All opinions, words and photos are my own.