Jot Magaine Issue 11: Favorite Photo

Jot Magazine issue 11 is currently available and full of inspiration from the Jot Girls, as well as reader's submissions. Today I'm sharing with you one of my layouts featured in the magazine, showcasing one of my favorite photos from the summer.

Supplies | Cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned papers: Doodlebug Designs (polka dot vellum), Studio Calico (background), Heidi Swapp (yellow/grey polka dots), Crate Paper (floral). Journaling tags: Elle’s Studio (‘summer moments’, pink tag, ‘today’ date). Embellishment: Crate Paper (chipboard butterfly, ‘2 tag’), Simple Stories (yellow butterfly sticker, ‘i am simply me’ tag, enamel dots), Heidi Swapp (flair), My Mind’s Eye (yellow brad), American Crafts (mini staples, letter stickers). Other: Stampin’ Up! (die/embossing folder), Basic Grey (digital die cut butterfly), baker’s twine.

This photo is so special to me because it embodies my daughter at this age- big smile, wild hair (always!) and her favorite butterfly t-shirt. It was taken on our trip back home to Kentucky to see my parents this summer. 

The layout itself came together quite easily. As soon as I saw the Studio Calico background paper in my stash, I knew it would be perfect, as I wanted to incorporate bright yellow and pink on my layout, and the mixed-media texture on the patterned paper was an added bonus. I didn't even have to get my workspace dirty! I kept the yellow manufacturer's strip on the right side and decided to butt my photo mat, which included vellum, three different patterned papers and an Elle's Studio journaling tag, up to it.

The first embellishment that I added came about merely because it was laying on my desk in front of me - the big, grey butterfly die-cut from Basic Grey. I layered it onto a Heidi Swapp circular journaling card and topped it with an "embosslit" (embossed and die-cut) butterfly from Stampin' Up, and a Heidi Swapp "bliss" flair badge.

I added my title in a natural space that was created in the gap between my polka-dot vellum and patterned paper with grey Thickers. Tip: You can see here that my "Y" is cut in half- that's because I didn't have a "Y" left on the sheet, so I used an "I" and a "W" to make a "Y" for my title. To the right of my title, I added my handwritten journaling, and above this space, I placed three different, layered butterflies, using vellum, paper, and printed chipboard.

My third embellishment cluster, placed at the bottom right of my photo, included the "I am simply me" tag from Simple Stories, backed with a pink Elle's Studio tag, and topped with another layered butterfly. To the right of that I added a "2" tag from Crate Paper (my daughter's age) and below, the "today" tag from Elle's Studio, stamped with the date. A splattering of enamel dots, always a must for me, finished off the page.

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my layout! Be sure to download the entire Jot Magazine issue 11 to view so many beautiful projects!

Scraptastic Club September Main Kit: Using the Stencil

Each Scraptastic Club main kit includes a stencil, and the pattern on the Skinny Love stencil this month is perfect for creating a background! I decided to use it in two different ways. First, on my layout, I repeated the pattern four different times to create a background for my photo mat, using a grey ink pad and a sponge dauber. 

After I sponged my background, I framed it with strips of patterned paper, also from the Skinny Love main kit, and added my photo mat on top.

To create my title, I cut the word "happy" from the Crate Paper Wonder "Bright Paper" pattern and added the "little you" banner on top of the Pinkfresh dip-dyed tag.

The exclusive, along with Crate Paper embellishments in the kit helped me to add the final perfect touches, along with a few drips of mist.

I had so much fun with the stencil, I decided to use it in a different way to create a card, outlining it with fine-tipped markers, and then coloring in some random bits with a blender pen.

There you have it! Two great ways to use an awesome stencil in a lovely kit! Thanks for stopping by. 

Elle's Studio September Exclusive Kit Reveal

Hello there! Wow, the 10th sure comes around quickly! Today is the September exclusive kit reveal at Elle's Studio and there is SO much to check out! 

The kit is a mix of lovely bold colors and neutrals with everyday sayings, as well as some fun cat and dog tags! 

The "For the Record" printables and digital cut files will stretch your kit even further! 

The coordinating stamp set and acrylic stars are sure to put the perfect finishing touch on your project! 

When you purchase your kit, be sure to check out this month's mini course to give you more ideas and inspiration on how to kill your kit and get your memories documented. At only $4.99 for 11 pages of inspiration, it's a bargain! The contributor's projects are amazing! 

Elle's new collections, Thankful and Joyful, are also in the shop today! Be sure to bundle them with the kit to save on shipping! 

This month, I paired the exclusive kit with the Thankful collection to create a page about my daughter's love for her surrogate grandmother- our close family friend, since both sets of grandparents live far away. 

Elle's Studio Supplies: September exclusive kit, Thankful (paper collection pack, cork pieces, bits & pieces, cutouts), Jordan solid alphabet stamp, September cut files, Adorbs stamp set. Other supplies: Crate Paper chipboard pennants and ampersand, Studio Calico enamel dots, Stampin' Up! ink.

I love that the Thankful collection can be both soft and feminine and boyish, as you will see in my next layout about our lovely Golden Retriever, Toby.

Elle's Studio Supplies: September exclusive kit, Thankful (paper collection pack, cork pieces, bits & pieces, word labels, grey letter and number stickers), Adorbs stamp set, acrylic stars. Other supplies: Studio Calico chipboard shapes & enamel dots.

Thanks for coming by to see what Elle's Studio is offering this month to help you document your stories! Be sure to follow Elle's Studio on Instagram to keep up with the latest news and exciting giveaways coming up! 

Jot Magazine September 2015 Mood Board Layout

Welcome back after a long, Labor Day weekend! I was busy in my studio, creating with the Jot Magazine September mood board.

It is so refreshing to see such a different color palette, with some amazing patterns! It only took me about 30 minutes to complete my layout, and I also have a process video to share with you!

I was so excited to be able to break into my new stash of the Elle's Studio Thankful collection to complete this page. The blue floral and blue ikat papers worked perfectly with the mood board!

Be sure to create your own project using the mood board as a jump-start, and upload to the mood board post before the end of the month for a chance to win a fantastic prize from Elle's Studio! 

July Project Life Spreads

Hello there! Today I’m sharing a TLN spread that I created with the Scraptastic Kit Club's August This Life Noted and Wednesday Night kits documenting the final days of our July. The green and turquoise cards and paper in the kits worked perfectly with the photos from our trip home to Kentucky. 

To bring attention to our trip to Kentucky, I created two customized cards in the center of my spread with my Silhouette Cameo and papers from the Wednesday Night kit & add-on. I topped the cards with a flair badge and "long way home” cutout from the TLN kit.

In between the left and right sides of my spread, I added a hand-sewn pocket, sized 3-1/4” x 8” to house a photo of my daughter and I from a day of hiking, as well as our hiking trail guide on the back.

The TLN stamp, which I stamped with Staz-On directly onto my photo worked perfectly with the “that was fun” cutout that I punched with a circle punch. To finish off my embellishment grouping, I added the “go somewhere new” banner and a wood veneer heart.

The right side of my spread included some tough days, which required hidden journaling, housed under the “refresh & renew” tag, which I attached with washi tape from my stash.

And that's a wrap with July in our Project Life album! Now, on to August. It feels great only being a month behind! 

Scraptastic Club: August Sketch Layout

I am SUCH a huge fan of sketches. So often I feel like I have to come up with something original and out of the box for every layout I create, which can be exhausting! Sometimes, your brain just needs a break from coming up with something completely original. In addition to that, starting with a sketch saves me so much time! I can usually whip up a layout in 30 minutes or less. The sketch from Scraptastic Club this month is a great one to get your creative juices flowing.

My take on this sketch documented a recent photo of my dad and my daughter. I love the mix of yellow, pink and navy on this layout, created with the  Wednesday Night kit & add-on from August 2015.

To twist the sketch up a bit, I used two triangles cut from the Pink Paislee patterned paper, but placed them on the bottom and the right side of my 8-1/2" x 11" layout, grouping my title and all of my embellishment on the right side triangle. Around the edges of my triangles, I stamped phrases with the August 2015 Elastic Heart stamp set (sold out). 

I wanted to use two different fonts in my title, and to make the word 'his' quite masculine, I decided to hand cut my letters from the We R Memory Keepers fabric included in the kit. To ensure that all of my letters were the same size to start, I cut three equally sized rectangles out of the fabric, and then cut my letters from those pieces. To finish off the layout, I created a pocket for my hidden journaling tag under my photo. 

Thanks for stopping by today! How will you interpret this sketch? 

Scraptastic Club Layout: Lovely & Mighty

I've been creating away this week with the Scraptastic Club's Wednesday Night kit & add-on, so I have a new 8-1/2" x 11" layout to share with you today.

I love the exclusive papers in this month's kit, and I loved how the shape of the dome on the paper echoed the shape of the playground in my photo. Subtle nuances like this can really bring your layout together into a cohesive, thoughtful design.

One thing I'm really loving about the 8-1/2" x  11" size layout is that I can easily type and print my journaling on the background paper. I created a nice column with journaling, my title and my photo, to stand up to the weight of my patterned paper column on the right. The "adventure" circle was added with the August 2015 This Life Noted stamp set, and I placed a chipboard heart from the Simple Stories So Fancy chipboard in the add-on kit.

I wanted a tall, strong sans-serif font for the word "mighty" in my title, so I cut the word, using Bebas Neue, on my Silhouette Cameo. Above that, I added the "love this girl" banner from the Wednesday Night digital files and the chipboard ampersand, again from the Simples Stories chipboard in the add-on. To finish off the page, I added a cardstock border at the top left corner, a metal brad and a few enamel dots.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great weekend!

June Pocket Page Spreads

Hi there and happy FRIDAY! Today on the Scraptastic Club blog, I shared the second half of my June pocket page spreads, using the This Life Noted kits, and I wanted to share my entire month of June here with you, too! 

The first half of my month started with our trip to Savannah, so I used a bit more color than I normally would on a spread. I used the June 2015 This Life Noted kit to complete the spread. 

My favorite card for the spread - possibly in the entire album so far - is this custom 4" x 6" card. To create it, I just cut large letters out with my Silhouette Cameo, twice, in color and in grey to create a shadow. After adhering them to the card, I cut it in half so that it fit in two 3" x 4" sleeves and then journaled at the bottom, finishing off with a stamped car from the June 2015 Can't Go Home stamp set (sold out.)

My second spread, created with the July 2015 This Life Noted kit, shows the second half of my month. In this spread, I included a few cards printed with typed journaling to give more information about the stories shown. I love the yellow, grey and tomato red color scheme on this spread.  

My favorite card on this spread was, once again, a 4" x 6" card, placed at the top of my spread. To create it, I added "June," stamped with the awesome July 2015 Sentiments Series v.10 alphabet stamp. To this, I added a tag with the "#summer" sticker, along with the yellow sunburst and cork quote embellishment.

I also loved the stamp set included in the July 2015 TLN kit. The "game changer" bubble couldn't have been more perfect for this card about new spin bikes at the gym. 

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at my album. Be sure to check out the TLN kits if you're in the market for a pocket page kit subscription. They make documenting our everyday so much easier! 

Tutorial: Print and cut journaling inside a circle

I recently shared a layout, "The Twos" that included a circular cut file in the background. To keep my design clean and consistent, I decided to include my journaling on the largest die-cut circle. My writing, however hard I try, is not very small, so to get all of my words down in the 2" circle, I was going to have to type it on my computer and print it out, and I figured that the quickest way to cut it would be with my Silhouette Cameo. Today I'd like to share this process with you using Photoshop Elements and Silhouette Studio software, so that you can try it on your next layout! 

1. In Photoshop or Photoshop Elements using the ellipse tool, draw a circle just smaller than the diameter of the circle that you will be adding to your layout. In my case, my largest die-cut background circle was just over 2" in diameter, so I sized my circle at 2", using the ellipse option menu at the upper left side of the toolbar.

2. Choose your horizontal text tool. Although the screen shot doesn't show it, when you hover your cursor over the edge of your circle after choosing this tool, a small circle appears behind your cursor. When you see that, click and the boundaries of your text box will be placed inside that circle.

3. Type your journaling so that it fits inside the circle. You can adjust the font and size to make it fill up the entire circle shape. Once your journaling is complete, save the file as a PNG. 

4. Open Silhouette Studio software and in the Design Page Settings menu, make your sheet 8-1/2" x 11", and turn on the print and cut border. Locate your PNG file and drag and drop it into this new document, being sure not to adjust the size. Your text should be well inside the print border lines.

5. Using the ellipse shape tool on the toolbar, draw a circle. In the Scale menu, adjust your circle size to fit your die-cut size, which is slightly larger than your journaling circle, in my case 2.2" in diameter. Turn on your registration marks in the Registration Marks menu and be sure that everything fits inside the guides. 

6. Print your journaling from the Silhouette Studio software. This will also print the registration marks, which are the key to being sure that your circle will cut in the correct place.

7. Once your journaling is printed, load the paper in your Silhouette Cameo and cut according to the paper type settings for your chosen paper. The Silhouette should cut it exactly as it is shown on your screen and you can then adhere to your layout! 

I hope you find this useful on your next project! Thanks for stopping by!

The Twos

Since I became pregnant, I've heard that the "terrible twos" are a definite force to be reckoned with, however, I was a bit spoiled for the first six months of Lizzy's second year of life, and I figured that they just weren't going to be an issue for us.

Until now.

In the past two weeks, the terrible twos have hit us hard. Screaming, kicking, and just general grumpy moods have now become a new thing to deal with here in the Andrew household. The phrase that echoes around the house now is, "I NO LIKE [insert object/person]," whether it is aimed at a toy she is tired of playing with, or myself or Simon. It has definitely been a game-changer for us in terms of planning activities and in how we approach her. 

In my life of documenting, I try to get both the good and the bad down on paper, so you can probably expect to see quite a few photos of a moody toddler in the future. On a recent trip to Lexington, Kentucky, my alma-mater town, I wanted to snap a few photos of her in front of the fountain at Triangle Park, but, surprisingly, she didn't have the same plans.

Instead of filing this photo away in the "uncooperative toddler" file, I decided to scrapbook it with the True Colors kit and add-on from Scraptastic Club. The beautiful Dear Lizzy wide washi tape included in the add-on matched Lizzy's outfit perfectly from that day, so that was the starting point for my layout.

To create my fun, artsy background, I cut the True Colors digital cut file from the same white cardstock that I used for my background. I also punched circles, corresponding to the size of the circles in the cut file, from watercolor paper. Using the pie shapes in the cut file as a guide, I used my Stampin' Up ink pads and a water brush to watercolor the colors from the washi tape in the circles.

Since I already had a lot going on in my background, I kept my embellishment simple with pieces from both the kit and add-on, as well as the True Colors printables.

To make my journaling fit into the design of the layout, I decided to put it inside the largest circle on my background. Typing it up in Photoshop Elements and cutting it out with the Silhouette Cameo was quite easy. Look for the tutorial on how you can do this too on Monday! 

Have a great weekend! 

Scraptastic Layout: Sunny, Happy Summer

Over at Scraptastic Club this month, I worked with the bright and bold True Colors kit and add-on. With the pink, orange, yellow, white and black color scheme, it was the perfect kit to use with a sunny, summer photo of Elizabeth in the pool, however, I wanted to add a few more colors to highlight the colors in my photo.

In addition to the kits, I added the wonky border from the July 2015 Summertime Rolls stamp set to add additional colors into my layout.

To make my colorful borders, I stamped the border onto my background (using the patterned paper I had already adhered as a guide to keep it nice and straight) with Versamark. I added American Crafts Zing white embossing powder, to keep the background clean, then heat set. Once it was cool, I added little bits of watercolor in the spaces randomly. To add a bit of shine, I also colored in a few squares with a PenTouch gold metallic pen.

I love using an embossing technique when coloring in stamped images! The raised surface is perfect for helping me to color in the lines.

I kept most of my embellishment around my photo, using a sleeve for my journaling tag, In addition to the beautiful bright yellow doily, I also added the star circle, attached with a mini clip, and 'more of this' from the True Colors digital files. 

I knew I had to use the beautiful stamp set again to create my title, and I opted to leave the word "sandy" out, since we weren't at the beach, and replace it with the Bella Boulevard alpha stickers spelling, "summer." To make the words really stand out against the colorful paper, I again heat embossed "sunny" and "happy" with white embossing powder. 

I love how versatile and useful stamps can be on my layouts. Thanks for stopping by & have a great week! 

Around the web...

Summer is busy around here. We have been enjoying time spent with family, going on adventures and taking it easy at the same time. I have been living in the moment, which means that I haven't shared everything that I've been doing around the scrapbooking web-o-sphere lately. So today, I'd just like to give you a head's up on a few places I've been featured.

Basic Grey June Guest Designer

I was so excited to be asked as the Basic Grey guest designer for the month of June! I created four different layouts using the Tea Garden collection, which at first I was afraid would be a bit busy for me. However, the beautiful colors drew me in and I created four projects that I absolutely love, not to mention am so proud of. Check out the original guest designer post on the Basic Grey blog to see my other projects. 

Pocket Talk Podcast

Layout featured in Jot Magazine, Issue 10.

Earlier this month, I sat down to have a chat with the lovely Jess Forster on her podcast, Pocket Talk. I have been a listener since episode one, and when she asked me to chat with her, I was so excited. In my episode, episode 12, we chat about my pocket page documentation failures and successes, as well as how I photograph and edit my pocket page photos for design team work. 

Traveler's Notebook for Scraptastic Club

Yesterday, I was featured on the Scraptastic Club blog using the packed, beautiful "Can't Go Home" kit and add-on to make a traveler's notebook insert that I plan to use on an upcoming trip to Boston. The process was so easy and I can't wait to use it to document my trip! 

If you want to be sure to catch everything I'm up to in my personal, as well as scrapbooking life, I update my Instagram account regularly, so be sure to follow me there! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're having a wonderful summer! 

Jot Magazine July Mood Board

The July mood board at Jot Magazine is live, and the beautiful board, created by Beshka Kueser, has the most beautiful color palette. 

I was so inspired by the color scheme- one that I had never created with before, that I created this layout.

Supplies | Patterned paper: American Crafts (teal dot, green ledger, '2' tag), Crate Paper (green tags), Studio Calico (floral), Doodlebug (pink dot vellum). Embellishments: Pebbles (gold alpha), Simple Stories (flower, heart & 'loving life' chipboard), Bella Boulevard (felt bow), American Crafts (heart puffy sticker, 'fabulous' die cut), Basic Grey (pennant chipboard), My Mind's Eye (twine). Other (enamel dots).

The photo of my daughter against an orange wall in Savannah was perfect for the color scheme, and I paired it with a wide range of teal, yellow and green product, with a tiny bit of pink thrown in for good measure.

As soon as I saw the photo, I knew I wanted to journal about how active and difficult that Lizzy is at the age of two. When I was taking her photo, I couldn't get her to sit still or look at the camera at all. This momma business is such a wild, beautiful ride. 

Be sure to link up your creation to the Jot Magazine blog using this beautiful inspiration board by the end of the month! 

Scraptastic Club June Projects

June was definitely a great month at Scraptastic. I worked with the Can't Go Home kit and add-on this month, as I was drawn to the travel theme and the bright, bold colors. 

My first project this month was a 'main kit only' project and documented my daughter's first flight- a pretty momentous occasion.

My favorite part about the kit was the Can't Go Home stamp set, which I used to stamp the top of my journaling.

My second layout used both the main kit and the add-on to document my daughter's start to walking while we were in Paris. 

I loved the mix of the Shimelle True Stories collection with the Pink Paislee Atlas collection in these kits. I also used a label from the June Can't Go Home digital files on this one.

My third layout, again documenting a part of our Parisian trip, records an amazing boat tour down the Seine.

I also used the June 2015 This Life Noted kit to record the start of my June. 

My favorite part of the spread was this bold, colorful title to highlight the start of our vacation to Savannah, which I created by die-cutting letters (with Bebas Neue font) from my Silhouette Cameo and adhered to a 4"x6" TLN card.

I followed the same color scheme on the right side and used a lot of this month's stamps on my title card.

With a mix of the Can't Go Home and Thinking Out Loud stamp sets, using stamp pad colors to match the rest of the spread, I created a perfect accent card for my layout. 

Be sure to check out the beautiful June kits, which are still available in the Scraptastic store! 

Jot Magazine Issue 10: Story Telling

Today I'd like to share a layout with you that was featured in Jot Magazine's Issue 10, which released on June 1st. This celebratory 2nd birthday issue is jam packed with inspiration from my fellow design team members as well as readers. My layout, "Leg!" was featured in the "Story Telling" gallery and our assignment this month was to document funny sayings from our loved ones. Months ago, I snapped this photo of Lizzy and I playing ball by setting my DSLR camera on the floor and using the timer. As soon as I read the assignment, I knew this photo would be perfect to document an everyday activity here at our home.

Supplies | Cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned papers: Shimelle for American Crafts (ledger & pink dots), Studio Calico (letters), We R Memory Keepers (stars), Crate Paper (vellum); Embellishments: Heidi Swapp (letters & metal clip), Studio Calico (heart), Gossamer Blue (‘happy memories’ banner, ‘together’ chipboard), Crate Paper (tag, tab sticker), American Crafts (house puffy sticker, wooden flair, small stars & heart stickers), Simple Stories (chipboard frame); Stamp: Scraptastic Club; Other: Stampin’ Up! (ink & twine)

The story: One of Lizzy's favorite activities is playing ball, but she is very particular on how it will be played. She shouts, "leg!" whenever she wants to play, which means that you have to sit down on the floor wherever you are standing, and spread your legs so that she can pass the ball to you. She's a bit demanding, but still quite cute. 

How I created this layout: 

1. I printed a 4"x6" photo and matted with a 4-1/2" x 6-1/2" piece of white cardstock. 
2. Next I layered three different patterned papers at the upper half of a 12"x12" sheet of ledger patterned paper and adhered the photo to the top of the layers with dimensional adhesive.
3. At the upper right-hand corner of the photo, I tucked a tab label behind the photo & add a 'love' sticker. To the right of the label, I added a metal clip and slid the 'happy memories' die-out label under it.
4. At the bottom left-hand corner of the photo, I added a grouping of embellishment. I framed a piece of vellum in a chipboard frame, and added a tag on top, on which I stapled a transparent heart. On top of that, I added another chipboard element, the 'together' circle. On the left side of the frame I added a puffy sticker house and a wooden enamel button. The frame served as the base for all of the embellishment in this grouping.
5. At the right bottom corner of the embellishment grouping, I added a 'today documented' stamp.
6. At the bottom right-hand corner of the patterned paper grouping, I added a large title in transparent letters. Beneath it, I handwrote my journaling.
7. To finish off my layout, I added three different groupings of small heart and star stickers.

Thanks for stopping by! Over the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing my Jot Issue 10 layouts here on my blog, but in the meantime, check out the full, FREE issue of Jot today!  

Elle's Studio June Exclusive Kit Reveal!

The June Elle's Studio exclusive kit is live and it is the biggest one yet! Packed with colorful, versatile tags and journaling cards, the possibilities with this kit and add-ons are endless! 

You definitely won't want to miss the add-ons: the 'So Sweet' stamp is perfect for scrapbooking as well as dressing up your planner; the printables are fun and easy to use on any project and the cut files are a must-have for your cut-file library.

This month, I used the kit and all of the add-ons to create my two projects. First up, a layout, on which I used the 'So Sweet' stamp cross background to add a custom embossed and hand stitched background.

Supplies: June exclusive kit, 'So Sweet' stamp, 'Let's Eat' paper collection pack (the yellow paper is my favorite from the collection!)

I absolutely loved the predominance of blues, yellows and oranges in the kit this month and wanted to use them in this layout to highlight a recent photo of my daughter. After stamping and embossing the background crosses with white embossing powder, I hand stitched the same colors onto random crosses to give the layout more texture and visual interest. I love the result.

My next project was created so that you could see just how versatile ES kits and collections are. The 'because I love you' journaling card from the 'Good Times' printables gave me the idea to create a little honey gift set for a friend who has been wanting some of my favorite Texas wildflower honey!

To create the card, I used the yellow 4"x6" journaling card from the 'Good Times' printables as my card base, topped that with the cross background cut file, added a black and white ribbon and printed out the bee circle printable several times- I topped my ribbon with one, then cut the bees out of the two others to add to the yellow background. A few stamped bees from the 'So Sweet' stamp and some machine stitching finished it off.

On the honey bottle, I wanted to add a recipe for my favorite Pecan Honey Granola, so I cut out the adorable recipe card from the Let's Eat Best Ever paper, wrote out the recipe and simply stamped a bee and the 'so, so good' sentiment from the 'So Sweet' stamp set before adhering it to the bottle front.

On the top of the bottle, I added another bee circle. I then created my own tag using two tags from the 'Good Times' printables, and the same ribbon used on my coordinating card.

This month is the perfect time to try out some Elle's Studio products, if you haven't already, or to just stock up on some favorites! Elle is having a BIG retiring sale as well as a free shipping offer! Don't forget to add the new Let's Eat collection to your cart if you are a fellow foodie, like me!

Scraptastic Club's May Sketch Challenge!

It's the final Thursday of the month & a new sketch is up on the Scraptastic Club blog!

I used the sketch as-is this month to create a clean, bright and colorful layout using the May 2015 Janglin kit, add-on and stamp set.

This kit was perfect for documenting Lizzy's bright bear picnic on a very rainy, grey day while stuck indoors.

I love the mix of the exclusive paper (the rainy cloud), exclusive embellishments (the acrylic raindrops) with the Pinkfresh Studio and American Crafts goodies in the kits. Using the sketch, my layout came together in under 30 minutes. I love when that happens!

Be sure to link up your layout using the sketch to the sketch post for a chance to win a gift certificate to the Scraptastic Club site!

Day in the Life: Photos & Words

When Ali Edwards announced that she was documenting a 'Day in the Life' on May 12th, I was excited. I had attempted a 'Week in the Life' several times before, only to give up on day 3 or 4. One day of intense photo documentation is plenty for me, and I love that it gives a glance into our daily, boring lives right now. Today I want to share with you the photos and words from that day.

7:00 AM | (My clock is 20 minutes fast) I wake when I hear Lizzy stirring on the monitor. I see her slip out of bed and head towards mine. She has only been sleeping in a toddler bed for three days, and this is the first night that she has slept through in her own bed. Hooray for a good night's sleep.

7: 15 AM | I get Lizzy a cup of milk and she asks to watch Peppa Pig on my iPad. (This is totally one of those photos that I wish I had captured on my DSLR instead of my iPhone.) I check up on Instagram and my email on my iPhone while in bed next to her. I decide to get a shower before breakfast today, as it makes me feel like I'm totally conquering the morning.

8:00 AM | I hold off on blow drying my hair, since Lizzy is asking for 'egg bread'- her most requested breakfast. I get to the kitchen and start making her request while she watches PBS Kids on the iPad at the table.

Egg & bread, really an Ezekiel English muffin. I keep half of mine to spread on some homemade vanilla bean tangerine marmalade to have with my coffee.

8:30 AM | Breakfast is always a time for listing- I have to have a list of goals for the day to feel like I've accomplished anything. These to-do list printables are from Ann Marie Espinoza. (I print a big stack and bind them with some Glossy Accents.)

9:45 AM | After getting Lizzy ready, blow drying my hair & getting one more cup of coffee, we are in the car and headed toward 'toddler time' at our local library branch.

10:00 AM | I (very cleverly) remembered to let Lizzy wear her wellies to the library today, and luckily, there were some puddles in the parking lot that made good use out of them.

10:30 AM | Toddler time is hard work. Because of her inability to be around other children during cold and flu season, her social skills are still lacking and she's still learning how to do things like sing and dance. Her attention span is also extremely short- more so than most 2 year olds, a side effect of prematurity. Some days I really don't want to take her to this, but I know that it is important for her to grow socially, so we continue to go once a week in the summer.

11:00 AM | After we check out our new books, we head to Costco for some salmon & beans. We end up spending over $100. Typical, and the reason why I hate going to Costco. Simon usually stops on his way home.

12:00 PM | Girly is super hungry. I make us a wrap of homemade guacamole, grilled chicken and veggies and serve it with Pirates Booty cheese puffs. She eats the entire wrap. High five for me.

1:00 PM | Taking Toby and dinosaur for a 20-minute walk around the neighborhood.

1:30 PM | Once Lizzy is down for her nap, I start working on packing up a set of onesies for my cousin, who just had a baby that morning! I also had to make a card, so I pulled out some old Studio Calico kits to help me out. I love making pretty things for other people.

4:00 PM | When Lizzy wakes from her nap, we head to the post office to drop off the gift for my cousin. Lizzy's bestie, Jack, lives just around the corner from the post office so we drop in to see him. Jack's grandmother shows Lizzy photos of a gecko that she took on her phone.

5:00 PM | We get home just as Simon arrives home from work. I get into the kitchen to sort dinner out and Simon distracts a hungry Lizzy with building blocks, one of her favorites.

6:00 PM | Dinner consists of honey-mustard glazed salmon, Trader Joe's multigrain rice pilaf with vegetables (love that I had a bag of this in the freezer, as I was going to make my own rice pilaf!) and sautéed lemon green beans with almonds. Lizzy ate almost all of her salmon and some of her rice

7:00 PM | Simon takes Lizzy and Toby for a walk, with teddy, piggy and dinosaur, of course. I stay home and tidy the kitchen. The kitchen has to be completely clean before I can wind down for the evening. 

7:30 PM | Simon does bath time with Lizzy.

8:00 PM | Lizzy is quite tired tonight, so after only one story, she is down.

10:00 PM | After tidying my office and just doing a general pick-up around the house, I sit down to start on medical paperwork for Lizzy, which I realize will take me hours. Feeling a bit defeated, I decide to call it a night and head to bed. 

After looking back through my photos, I see that the next time I do this project, I really want to grab my DSLR instead of my iPhone, especially in low-light situations. I also want to get more photos from Simon's day at the office. I noticed that my photo taking lagged towards the end of the day and I missed the bedtime routine photos, like brushing teeth and reading stories. 

Thanks for stopping by! Have you done this photography project before, and if so, were you successful in documenting your entire day?

Two Page Layout Challenge

Today on the Scraptastic Club blog, myself and some fellow design team members were challenged to create a two-page spread. After thinking about it (and dreading it!) I decided that a two page spread didn't have to be two 12"x12" layouts! I decided to document an event which I had several photos of and create one 12"x12" layout and one pocket page spread, so that I could share all of the other photos that complete the story of a family road trip to San Antonio in April 2014.

To say that I love this spread is an understatement. Everything about it makes me happy- from the beautiful colors in the Scraptastic Club's May 2015 Janglin' kit and add-on, to the perfect cards from the April 2015 TLN kit that worked so well with the photos. 

Since the Pinkfresh Studio background patterned paper that I used was quite busy (the bright colors called to me!) I kept the rest of the layout as simple as possible. To break up the vertical lines on the left, I added a manufacturer's strip just underneath the orange horizontal line, which also served as a place for my title AND helps to draw your eye from the photo to the pocket page spread on the right.

To break up all of the lines on the page, I added a triangle of three circles, punched from another Pinkfresh Studio In The Clouds paper in the kit. These circles housed additional embellishments and a part of my title.

On the right side, I chose cards from the April 2015 TLN kit that had the same colors as on the left. The three cards I chose were perfect accompaniments to my photos and the story. 

To create balance from the left to the right sides, I added circular elements to my pocket pages. On this card, I traced a dashed circle around the 'let's go' title and added mini alphas, vellum arrows and enamel dots. 

This 'weekend adventure' card was embellished with more circles- punched, from a die-cut pack, a sticker sheet and a flair badge. It's purely for embellishment & it is my favorite on the spread.

That's all from me today! Thanks for stopping by! How do you feel about double-page spreads? Do they intimidate you? 

Scraptastic Club Janglin' Main Kit Process Video

Hello there! I just wanted to let you know that I'm sharing a new layout using the Scraptastic Club's May 2015 Janglin' kit, with a process video over on the Scraptastic Club blog today. I really love challenging myself to create with a main kit only, as it usually means that I create SO much faster than my normal 2-3 hour time frame for a page.

You can see the entire process for this layout, which I absolutely love, in my video. 

Do you love working with main kits only if you're a kit subscriber?