Elle's Studio July Reveal Day!

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I'm so excited to share the new Elle's Studio July 2017 Exclusive Kit* and add-ons that just hit the shop! (*All product links are affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your sale! Thanks for your continued support!) 

The July 2017 Kit may just be my favourite Elle's Studio kit EVER! With the beautiful colors, illustrations and sayings, these tags and die-cuts are just perfection! 

Last, but not least, the Love This Life Printables and July Cut Files are perfect for reusing over and over again on your projects!

When I saw the "love this" tag in the Love This Life Printables, I knew it would make an amazing background for a scrapbook layout. I opened the PNG file in Photoshop & got to work recoloring the circles to match the photo of my daughter on the beach that I wanted to document. I also added the word "beach" to the inside of the pink circle, just to fit more to the layout subject. I didn't need much embellishment on this layout, and a simple title created with a mix of the Stanley Outline Alphabet Stamp and the Title Builder Stamp finished off the page!

As soon as I saw the package of Cork Tags in my July box, I knew that I was destined to make a mini out of them. Oh my goodness, are they not the best thing ever? I immediately grabbed the "summer" tag and decided to document our best summer moments with this little beauty. The best part is that I can continue to add to it by creating more pages throughout the summer!

I'm going to share exactly how I created this little mini album on the 15th, as well as show you all of the pages, so please come back for the full reveal!

An Everyday Adventures Class-Inspired Mini Album

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It's rare lately that I get to join in with the contributors for a class that I'm coordinating at Elle's Studio, but the entire time I was editing the Everyday Adventures class*, I wanted to CREATE! The projects from the contributors, some of my favorite designers in the industry, were amazing, and I loved their tips and tricks that they shared to help you create an album you love! So, I decided to read through the class again and highlight some of my favorite parts to then inspire my own mini album, and I'm sharing that with you today!

(*Product links are affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your sale! Thanks for your continued support!) 

Supplies | Everyday Adventures Mini Album Class with Stamp & Digital Files, Everyday Adventures Product Bundle, Jonah Alphabet Stamp, Dated Stamp, The Story Of Stamp

I found this fun wooden board mini album in my stash and loved it, without realizing it was the same album that Barbara Picinich used for her album in the class! I kept the transparent cover page, using it to adhere a few embellishments and a tag with a stamped title, using the exclusive Everyday Adventures stamp, Jonah Alphabet Stamp, Dated Stamp and The Story Of Stamp

My first page features the image that you see on the cover, since it was only separated with a transparent cover page. Patterned paper created the foundation for my album pages, just like Jennifer Gallacher’s mini album in the class. On the first page, I used the patterned stripe from the Live Laugh Love 6″ x 6″ Paper Stack found in the Everyday Adventures Product Bundle and as Mel Blackburn recommended in her class lesson, I only used these colors throughout the entire album to make it cohesive from page to page.

Since the pages were only 6″ long, and I wanted mine to be 7″ to fit with the album, I cut a coordinating pattern to the same width of the page, 4.75″ and 2″ high, scoring it in half and sewing the bottom edge to the top of my patterned paper, giving me elongated pages and a nice sturdy top to flip around the binding rings.

Lizzy absolutely loves dinosaurs, and when we went to a classmate's dinosaur party at the museum of natural science, I took this lovely photo of her in a dinosaur hat that she made. I knew it had to go on the cover.

On every page of my album, I featured a 4″ x 4″ photo, that I backed with white cardstock. I used the digital labels included with the class to add my journaling in Photoshop before printing and cutting, allowing me to add the maximum amount of words in a small space. I also made sure that I had stamped images on every page, using the Everyday Adventures stamp, and included just a few small embellishments.

This page is SO fun, and it was simple to add just a few Live Laugh Love collection enamel dots and plus stamps from the Everyday Adventures stamp directly to the photo of my daughter's "decorated" bath.

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I had to get the things we like to do together in the album, and since they're about me, I made sure to get my photo in there, too. 

One of Kristin Tweedale’s tips from the class was to create interest with banners or tags sticking out from the pages, so I added several labels to the page edges, as well as this tag with my daughter’s name stamped with my favorite, Jonah Alphabet Stamp, that was purely for embellishment!

No mini album about Lizzy would be complete without a cute giraffe in it. She LOVES them, and I love this photo and page!

In Laura Wonsik’s lesson, she recommends creating “clusters” of embellishment, which allows for the maximum amount of white space on each page. I loved compiling these clusters with the digital class die cuts, Live Laugh Love Bits and Pieces, Puffy Stickers, Wood Veneers, Washi Tape, Enamel Dots and the Everyday Adventures stamp.

Recently, when my talking with a friend, I told her that Lizzy still pronounces "animals" as "aMinals," and she said that I had better write that down, since it will likely change soon. Why didn't I think of that? It was fun to find a photo of her talking, and then use the speech bubble from the Everyday Adventures stamp to add in the baby words that she still says today. Ah... I'm not ready for that to change just yet.

There is nothing more "everyday" for us than a visit to the library, and I love that I can combine our "everyday adventures" with things that Lizzy loves right now in this album. The sentiments in the Everyday Adventures stamp were perfect for every page.

I'm not sure how I scored this photo, but it really has my heart... Lizzy loves her Red Shirt Bear, and seeing her carefully placing him on her bed is really part of her sweet little personality at the moment.

I had to document Lizzy's favorite lunch out at the moment—a pizza flatbread from Potbelly. I just love how those plus signs float from the bottom to the top of the page.

On my final page, I included a photo of us painting together, something we do often to pass the time at home. 

I can't wait to add more pages into this album as the year goes on, so that I can remember my daughter's likes and dislikes, and funny personality at four! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and be sure to check out the Everyday Adventures Mini Album Class and Everyday Adventures Product Bundle—it really is wonderful and inspiring!

Introducing Title Builder: A Collaboration with Elle's Studio!

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This post has been a long time in the works, and I am SO excited to finally share a product that I've been working on with Elle's Studio, inspired by my class Terrific Titles, at Big Picture Classes and devoted to my love of creating titles, and my desire to help you love to create them, too! Introducing Title Builder! Watch this video to learn about why I wanted to create this product. (*All new product links are affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your sale! Thanks for your continued support!) 

The new Title Builder products, specifically designed to help you come up with and create stunning titles on your layouts and pocket pages, include the 6″ x 8″ word and phrases Title Builder Stamp, the Title Builder Alphabet Stamp, Title Builder Wood Veneer, and the Title Builder Acrylic. These can be purchased separately, or together in our Title Builder Bundle, specially priced with a 15% discount!

I had so much fun creating with the Title Builder supplies on both a layout and a pocket page, showing that these words and phrases can be used on any memory-keeping project. 

Supplies | Title Builder Stamp, Title Builder Alphabet Stamp, Title Builder Acrylic, Title Builder Wood Veneer, Party Time Acrylic, Live Laugh Love Word Labels, Live Laugh Love Small Blank Labels, Live Laugh Love 12" x 12" Paper Collection, Spring Sequins

I love this layout, and my title, "The Best Adventures Are With You," is the perfect title for the story I wanted to tell about traveling with my daughter, and introducing her to some of our favorite places. 

With the word "magic" included in the Title Builder Acrylic, I had to create a Disneyland pocket page, and I love how my title tag turned out. It was so simple to stamp only certain words on the phrase stamp to create my title, "Treasure the Magic of Today."

Another bonus of these awesome products: When you purchase the Title Builder Stamp, you will receive an email with a PDF page of title combinations using only this stamp, over 100 total, giving you easy access to get titles on your pages!

This is the first time I have ever put myself "out there" with a product, and it is one that I truly believe that scrapbookers and memory keepers will benefit from! I would love for you to check it out in the Elle's Studio shop today, and please let me know what you think!

Elle's Studio June Reveal: So Long Summer

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As you may have seen in my post yesterday, the Elle's Studio June 2017 Kit* is live and perfect for documenting your summer! It along with the embellishment add-ons* are in the shop while supplies last, so don't delay in picking up these great products before they're gone! I'm here to share my second project with you today, an 8-1/2" x 11" layout created to document our end-of-summer fair. (*All new product links are affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your sale! Thanks for your continued support!) 

When I laid out the kit next to the photos I had already printed to document, this one stood out. Both the photo and the kit are full of color, so I grabbed the multicolor stripe 3" x 4" tag, my photo and went to work. I had a lot of fun with this one, using the June Cut Files* and watercolors. You can see how it all came together in this short process video:

Don't miss the unboxing video that I created of all of the new product* that hit the shop this month. You will LOVE it all! Happy creating!

Elle's Studio June Reveal!

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The Elle's Studio June 2017 Kit and extras* are available now in the shop, and this month I've done an unboxing video to show you all of the gorgeous product! (*All new product links below are affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your sale! Thanks for your continued support!) 

In addition to what I've featured in the video, there is a new mini-collection release which includes the Summer Journaling Tags and Summer Stamp.

Don't forget about the digital files! The June Cut Files and Happy Printables are perfect to add to your summer digital library!

My first layout created this month is about the excitement of heading to a summer baseball game, and I used one of the 3" x 4" tags from the kit to inspire my punched, stitched circle layout. And how awesome is the new Stanley Alphabet Stamp, huh? You can see my entire process in the following video. Be sure to subscribe for more process videos

Stay tuned for my second layout with process video, coming to the blog tomorrow! It has a completely different feel to the first layout, something I love about working with these kits—you can achieve so much versatility! 

Thanks for stopping by and happy creating!  

30 Day Scrapbooking Photo Challenge: A Paper Saved NO MORE!

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This month, Shimelle is challenging all of her scrapbooking friends to a 30 Day scrapbooking photo challenge! 

I'm excited to play along with a challenge that doesn't make me create something new everyday, but might give me new ideas on things to document, or supplies that I don't often use! For day two, we were to share a paper that we're still saving, and I chose this pattern from the 2015 Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper Confetti collection.

After choosing this paper, I decided then and there that I was going to use it up on the same day, and when my daughter went down for her nap, I did just that! 

Supplies | Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper Confetti Collection paper, Bazzill Basics cardstock, Pink Paislee Birthday Bash ephemera pack; Elle's Studio Happy Birthday Stamp*; Elle's Studio Happy Birthday Journaling Tags*; Other: Washi tape, enamel dots, rub-on sequins, baker's twine. (Supplies with an * are affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your sale! Thanks for your continued support!)

I was able to create this page in about 30 minutes, mainly because the patterned paper design made easy decisions in the design of my page. You can see how I created it in my process video below, as well as where I added my journaling! 

Thanks for watching! Are you playing along with the #scrapbookingismysuperpower hashtag on Instagram? 

An Adventure in London

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We are fortunate to be able to go to our second country, the U.K., once a year to escape the Texas heat and visit family. Recently I've realized that I've done very little documenting of our trip from 2016, and since our 2017 trip is upon us, I've decided to get to it! One of my favorite photos from last year was of my daughter's first visit to see the lions in Trafalgar Square.

Supplies |  Studio Calico Sonnet Scrapbook Kit, Studio Calico Double Decker Bus Stamp, American Crafts Little by Little Think Big Patterned Paper*, American Crafts Little by Little Enamel Stars*, American Crafts Starshine Marquee Thickers*, Elle's Studio October 2016 Kit*. Other: Baker's twine, "love" pennant & "happiness" tag, date stamp, transparent star, Stampin' Up! ink.  (Supplies with an * are affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your sale! Thanks for your continued support!)

Of course since my photo was set in London, I pulled out my Studio Calico Sonnet Scrapbook Kit, remembering that there was a British-themed patterned paper in the kit. To begin, I chose the lightly-patterned background paper with the "file under" box on the right side, and trimmed it to 8-1/2" x 11". I knew that the space to the left of the box would be the perfect spot for my 4" x 6" photo. 

Using a checkmark stamp I had on hand, I added check marks to the "file under" box. On the corner of my photo, I added the adorable double-decker bus die cut, and an acrylic heart and enamel star to finish off this corner of embellishment. 

My title was my favorite part; pairing the "adventure" transparent die cut with the American Crafts Starshine Marquee Thickers*. I wanted the 'n' in London to line up with the right edge of my photo, but that left a large gap on the left side of my title. Searching around for something to put in the space, I remembered the lovely lion on the American Crafts Little by Little Think Big Patterned Paper*. I fussy-cut it from the 12" x 12" page and adhered it to the left of the title with dimensional adhesive, printing my journaling directly out on the patterned paper before adhering anything down. To add a little grouping of embellishment next to the lion, I found another acrylic heart, enamel star and stamped the adorable "mind the gap" icon from the Studio Calico Double Decker Bus Stamp.

My layout was balanced from the top, using the brightly patterned paper at the top, to the bottom, which housed my photo and title, but there was a large gap in the middle. To fill in this gap and add a bit more weight to the right side of the page, I added a banner of tags and pennants. The yellow tag was stamped with the Sonnet Scrapbook Kit stamp and the "cheerio" phrase from the Studio Calico Double Decker Bus Stamp. I used my sewing machine to adhere the transparent star and pennant, then added baker's twine to the yellow tag, and a pink brad (yes, those still exist in my stash!) to the "happiness" tag from the Elle's Studio October 2016 Kit*. A couple more enamel stars finished off the layout.

Thanks for stopping by today! What trips do you need to document at the moment? I'm going to keep working on stories from our last U.K. trip before we go back across "the pond!"

Documenting My Love for The Gilmore Girls

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When I found out that The Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was coming out in the fall, I was SO excited, as were most 30-somethings all over the country. But when it was released, the day after Thanksgiving, we were just about to embark on a trip to Hawaii and Disneyland, so I waited. I waited through December, until my husband left for work, and waited again until New Year's Eve, when my daughter was having her tonsillectomy. All of that waiting was completely worth it, and because the event was part of my New Year's celebration, I decided to document it in a pocket page. I even included a photo of The Dragonfly Inn on my TV screen with my twinkle lights on the mantel and a fire in the fireplace. Ah... cozy!  

Supplies | Elle's Studio May 2017 Kit*, Elle's Studio Today Stamp*, Elle's Studio Arrow Stickers*, Unity Stamp Company Lux Girl, misc. die cuts, Colorcast Designs Gilmore-themed wood veneer & acrylic (sold out), misc. sequins (Supplies with an * are affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your sale! Thanks for your continued support!)

Supplies | Elle's Studio May 2017 Kit*, Elle's Studio Sky Blue Puffy Alphabet Stickers*, Elle's Studio TV Journaling Tags*, Elle's Studio TV Stamp*, Elle's Studio TV Wood Veneer*, misc. cardstock alphabet stickers, misc. sequins, Colorcast Designs Gilmore-themed wood veneer & acrylic (sold out), (Supplies with an * are affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your sale! Thanks for your continued support!)   

I took my color scheme from the official A Year in the Life image with the beautiful sky blue background, as well as the photo of Lorelai and Rory grabbing a coffee and the morning paper in Star's Hollow. Mixing the beautiful light blue, with navy and pink felt just perfect for this spread. 

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Back in March, when I attended Scrapbook & Cards Today's Crop and Create Toronto, one of my kind, fellow croppers gave me this Lux Girl stamped image by Angie Bloom and Unity Stamp Company. It reminded me so much of Lorelai, and I knew it would be perfect to use when I was ready to create this spread. I held onto it for three months & coloring it in with watercolor pencils and a water pen was so relaxing. I backed it onto a piece of striped patterned paper from an old Scraptastic Club kit, and cut it in half, so that it would fit across two 3" x 4" pockets. Since she was looking down, I wanted to put a bit of embellishment under her feet, so I added label and heart die cuts, as well as a wood veneer heart.

This 3" x 4" tag that I used on the back side of the page is from the Elle's Studio May 2017 Kit. I knew what words I wanted to add right away, and I used the Elle's Studio Sky Blue Puffy Alphabet Stickers, and another lighter blue set that I had laying around from an old Studio Calico kit. To finish off the tag, I added the wood veneer coffee cup from Colorcast Designs 

Alongside the Colorcast Designs veneer and acrylic pieces, I also used the Elle's Studio TV Wood Veneer, Journaling Tags and Stamp. We don't watch much television around here, but I think documenting what little we do watch is important! Since we just started House of Cards on Netflix, you can expect to see another spread using these supplies to document that series later in the year! 

What shows do you watch? Have you documented them yet?

A Just for Fun Layout: We Click

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It's rare that I have enough time to create a "just for me" layout— one that isn't completed for an assignment. In fact, this layout is my first of the year. You may have seen a sneak of it a while ago on the Big Picture Classes Instagram page. I have had it "in process" on my desk since then, and just finished it off yesterday, using a few fun products on my desk.  (Supplies with an * are affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your sale! Thanks for your continued support!)

Supplies | American Crafts Little By Little Collection- Higgledy Piggledy paper*,  Elle's Studio Love You Journaling Tags*, Elle's Studio Live Laugh Love Washi Tape Stickers*, Elle's Studio Speech Bubble Stickers*, American Crafts Little By Little Collection Thickers- Magic*, American Crafts Little By Little Collection Wooden Buttons*, Studio Calico Summer of Sketches stamp (sold out), Ali Edward's "Click" Story Kit (sold out)  

This photo was taken while I was in Toronto for the Scrapbook and Cards Today crop for the weekend. Jess Forster, a fellow photo and scrapbooker, kindly took me out the day after the event ended to show me around Toronto, which, from what I saw in a day, I loved!

After I placed the fun Little By Little Collection- Higgledy Piggledy paper* on the left side of the layout, and had my photo position, the title was my next choice, to help balance out the weight on the left side. (To learn more about placement of titles in my BPC class, Terrific Titles!) I've had the Ali Edward's "Click" story kit in my office for a while, and I always love mixing acrylic words with other alpha mediums, like these Little By Little Collection Thickers. To pull even more weight to the edge of the right side of the page, I added the colorful Elle's Studio Live Laugh Love Washi Tape Sticker. I love that this collection works so well with the Little by Little collection!

My background was looking a bit too stark for me, so I pulled out the Summer of Sketches stamp from Studio Calico. I love the random "love this" background and stamped in twice, once at the top right of my photo, and once at the bottom right corner, so that it appeared to be once single image in a column along the right side of my photo. I then inked a single triangle from the border in the same stamp and stamped it multiple times in multiple colors around the words. Finally, I added a few triangular enamel dots. 

I wanted to add another small grouping of embellishment on the bottom left corner of my photo, so I grouped the "today" die-cut, the "hello" Speech Bubble Sticker, Little By Little Collection Wooden Button and a couple of enamel triangles. This little grouping finished off my layout.

Thanks for stopping by! How often do you get to create something for yourself?

Week In the Life 2017

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For the first time in four years, I have successfully finished my Week in the Life project, and I'd love to share it with you! Our life has significantly changed over the last year with my husband on a 28-day rotation, so it was very important to me to finish this project this year. I wanted to see things through my lens, most importantly, see the POSITIVE parts of our life, because to be honest, when my husband is gone, I sometimes feel sorry for myself. This week happened to fall during a week when he was away, so it documents the daily lives of my daughter, dog and I, and as I expected, it was eye-opening. When not in the daily grind, I can see just how blessed we are; to have each other, to have technology to speak and see each other, and to have the means to do fun things and eat great food. This week was also special because it fell on my 34th birthday, and on our March for Babies walk with the March of Dimes, a cause we greatly support raising a former micro-preemie.

I attribute my success in finishing this project to a few things: 

To begin, I created a small cover page to delineate the beginning of WITL in my monthly pocket page spread album. I downloaded the PNG "my story matters" file from the Week in the Life Community page, adding it to the left column of an 8-1/2" x 11" sheet in Photoshop Elements. I then "cut" the multicolor stripe pattern from one of the tags in the Week in the Life Digital Bundle into 1/2" strips and placed them along the left margin. I printed the page, cut it in half and adhered the right side to the back to make it thicker before I punched the holes. For this alone, I'm glad that I purchased the digital bundle, especially since I didn't want a stand-alone album for this project.

Before each day's pocket page, I added another 4-1/4" x 11" cardstock page with the words of the week— an hour-by-hour breakdown of our day. I created these by using the "today's details" image from a 3" x 4" tag in the Week in the Life Digital Bundle to top the left column on my sheet, then I copied and pasted my words from what I documented in my Notes App. After I printed the page, I cut it in half and again adhered the right column to the back of the sheet. I wanted a space to add the date, but since I didn't have room at the top, I stamped the date repeatedly on the left margin in the same color as I had made the "today's details" image. 

I continually mixed up my pocket page designs throughout the week's documentation, but each day had the same setup: I used one 4" x 6" pocket to add the vellum days of the week word from the Week in the Life Digital Bundle. All of my photos were printed with a white border, which makes the different sizes congruent. I also added one or two filler tags, to give myself a break and add a bit of pretty paper. 

I wanted a few different textures for my embellishment, and I chose these Elle's Studio Work Hard Wood Veneer pieces. Although they have a "work" theme, the sayings were easy to incorporate throughout the pages.

I definitely don't often do this, but I stamped directly onto my photos. And yes, I screwed it up a few times, having to re-print the photo. But I love how I used the images in the photos to tie in the stamped words, like in this bath photo of my daughter using the Lens Story Stamp from Ali Edwards.

This might be one of my favorite parts of these pages. I had to take some marketing images for my Terrific Titles class at Big Picture Classes, and the light in my office was just perfect. The "I heart my job" wood veneer was perfect to add to the bottom of the page and the "this is my happy place" tag from the free Elle's Studio NSD digital file , re-colored to match the Week in the Life Digital Bundle was perfect to add next to it.

Even though I hate doing it, I added my own handwriting on a couple of journaling tags. Mainly because this was my LAST STEP of completion, and I was too lazy to scan in the tag and type my journaling up in Photoshop. Just being real.

It was pretty awesome to add photos of my daughter's Spanish performance at school in the album, as well as a complete temper-tantrum breakdown in the bottom right corner. Real life.

Cooking and eating are a BIG part of our daily lives, so of course photos of our meals appear throughout the album. I plan to keep these blue-rimmed plates forever, since I love the way they look against our white farmhouse breakfast table.

The "post midnight" photos from my 34th birthday celebration did not make an appearance in the album, for obvious reasons. 

We are deeply involved in our local March for Babies, benefitting the March of Dimes, so it was pretty awesome to have this documented on the final day of WITL. 

The final page includes a large image of the three of us, taken late Sunday afternoon. To take the photo, I used the timer on the Photos App, propped up against a stone. I love all of the negative space, and just had to add a stamped phrase using the Lens Story Stamp. I found the perfect 4" x 6" tag from the Project Life Everyday Edition, and simply added in the dates from the week using the Elle's Studio Dated Stamp

So, an epic project is complete. Thanks for getting through this epic blog post, too! Happy creating!

Elle's Studio May Kit Reveal

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When I opened my Elle's Studio May box last month, I was blown away. The May 2017 Kit is absolutely gorgeous, and the colors and designs are right up my alley. I know you will love it, too!

Last, but not least are the Fun in the Sun digital printables and May 2017 Digital Cut File.  

My favorite project that I created this month was a layout, created about my daughter's bestie's first unaided bike ride. I just happened to be there with a camera ready, and these supplies were perfect to document this fun moment in his life! It is one of my favorite layouts to date.

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I received this tassel on the tag of a new piece of clothing I purchased this month, and held on to it. When I saw the "let the good times roll" tag in the kit, I immediately thought of graduation, and knew that I had found a home for this happy little tag. I paired the supplies from the kit and the Bike Ride stamp with the Happy Birthday mini collection to create a happy, celebratory card, perfect for any grad!

I know that this kit is going to be a popular one, so be sure to get yours today at the introductory price of $9.99!

While you're there, don't forget to add the latest class from Elle's Studio, the Everyday Adventures Mini Album Class, to your cart! You will love the inspiration that it provides with eight different contributors creating eight original mini albums with the same supplies! Plus, the exclusive stamp set that comes with the class is perfection!

Altenew 3rd Anniversary Blog Hop + Giveaway

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I am beyond thrilled to be participating in the Altenew 3rd anniversary blog hop today, along with some very talented designers! If you're following the hop list, you've come here from Pretty Pink Posh. If this is your first time here, welcome! I love new friends both here on my blog, as well as my Instagram page.

To celebrate their third anniversary, each of us on the hop are sharing a new Altenew project with you. There are also some great giveaways and offers happening to celebrate, which you can find out about later in this post. 

Supplies | Reflection Scrapbook Kit, Happy Dreams Stamp Set

As soon as I saw this stamp set, I knew that I wanted to document a dreamy, baby photo. By pairing the Happy Dreams Stamp Set with the Reflection Scrapbook Kit, which is FULL of gorgeous patterns and embellishment, I created exactly what I had envisioned- a dreamy, garden-like page.

The Reflection Scrapbook Kit is FULL of so many great elements, including these die-cut flowers and wood veneer butterflies, not to mention the gorgeous watercolor floral paper that helped to tie the page together. 

There are so many possibilities with the Happy Dreams Stamp Set! I love that it is large- 6" x 8", perfect for using on scrapbook layouts as well as cards.

Now for the good stuff! Comment on every stop along the hop, including this post to be entered for a chance to win one these amazing prizes, which include: 

If you love the supplies I've used on my layout above, Altenew is also offering deals on shipping! You can get FREE U.S. shipping with code HAPPY3RD or $5 off international shipping with code ANNIVERSARY at checkout. Offer valid April 11th through April 16th at 11:59 PM EDT. Not valid on prior purchases. Cannot be combined with other promo codes.

Now, to continue along the hop route, stop by Nicole Picadura's blog. If you get lost somewhere along the way, go back to the Altenew blog to see all of the hop stops! Thanks so much for stopping by and good luck!

 

Elle's Studio Reveal: April Exclusive Kit + Live Laugh Love

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We at Elle's Studio are very excited about this month's reveal! First, we have a beautiful new exclusive kit in the shop to document your memories with! 

Along with the kit, there is an entire stash of new add-ons in the shop that coordinate with the kit, as well as the Live Laugh Love collection. These include (from left to right): Orchid Pink Puffy Stickers, Black Puffy Stickers, Pink Puffy Stickers, Sights and Sounds Stamp, Extraordinary Stickers, Family Acrylic, Fun Acrylic, Explore Acrylic, Enamel Dots, Vellum Hearts and Stars, Mom Acrylic and Wood Set, Dad Acrylic and Wood Set, Puffy Heart Stickers

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Don't forget about the digitals! This month we have the Fun Printables and April 2017 Digital Cut File new in the shop!

In addition to the new exclusive kit and add-ons, the Live Laugh Love collection is now available in the shop! This bright, cheery collection will pair perfectly with your April items to create perfect layouts and pocket page spreads!

We just got back from a family R.V. trip with my parents to Big Bend National Park, and I couldn't wait to scrapbook my thoughts about doing the trip in an R.V. with this kit! 

To keep my layout clean with a lot of white space, I added a pocket page next to the 12" x 12" layout in my album.

I loved the April 2017 Digital Cut File so much this month that I used it for my second layout as well! The dotty background was just begging to be filled with colorful paper from the new Live Laugh Love collection, and I used the new exclusives to color block my embellishment on top.

Last month's kit sold out quickly, so don't hang around. Go and grab these amazing new exclusives today, while the kit is only $9.99! 

Terrific Titles, My New Class at BPC!

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I am so excited to tell you that my second class, Terrific Titles, is now live and available to take at Big Picture Classes. This self-paced, 6 lesson course will focus on creating scrapbook layout titles- from coming up with a dynamic title, to choosing product, and figuring out where to place your title! This video gives a great introduction into what we will be covering during the class, as well as a few sneaks of some of the 18 layout examples that I created! 

Check out my Instagram feed later today for a special giveaway month-long membership to BPC, plus a prize pack of title goodies! 

I'd love to connect with you in the classroom, and help you perfect your page titles! 

Elle's Studio Reveal: March Exclusive Kit + Add-ons

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The March exclusive kit is live at Elle's Studio, and the color scheme is perfect to document your spring memories! 

In addition to the physical product, there are the Treasure Printables and March 2017 Digital Cut File to keep in your digital library! 

This month, I created two 8-1/2"  x 11" layouts, that came together so easily with the new products! The Grow and Bloom Wood Veneer were my favorite embellishment this month, and I used them on both layouts to create my titles. Shop the products used on these layouts via the galleries below.

This kit paired so well with the beautiful large floral pattern from Shimelle's new Little by Little collection to create this page about my daughter and mom gardening one day:

Because we are celebrating 10 years of business this month, Elle has released an amazing Happy Birthday Mini Collection to celebrate! 

All subscribers will receive an exclusive Elle's Studio Sharpie pen with their order, so if you don't have a subscription, be sure to get all of the details and sign up today to receive this awesome free gift!  

All orders placed this month, subscription or not, will receive an exclusive set of journaling tags and a scratch ticket. The prizes on the ticket include: $10 off, 10% off, $5 off, free shipping,  a 3-month subscription, and more! 

Stop by the Elle's Studio shop to see all of the new products and take advantage of the free gift this month! Thanks for stopping by!

Elle's Studio Reveal: February Exclusive Kit!

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The new Elle's Studio exclusive kit is live and ready to document your memories!

There are so many beautiful, warm colors and saying on the tags this month! 

The What Happened Printables and February Cut Files are also in the shop for you digi-lovers! 

When I saw the "Say What" cut file I knew I wanted to use it to document a funny photo of my daughter from our last Valentine's Day.

My second layout is my favorite of the month! I used the What Happened Printable digital file to create a custom patterned paper for my background of this playful layout. There are so many add-ons this month that worked perfectly to embellish this fun page about my daughter and her new playmate.

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Be sure to pick up these fabulous products, perfect for your next papercrafting project, before they're sold out! And, watch out for a tutorial on how I created custom patterned paper with the What Happened Printable here on my blog later this month.

Jot Magazine & Cocoa Vanilla Studio: Beautiful You

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I was so excited to receive a stash of Cocoa Vanilla Studio's Make a Wish collection to create with for Issue 16 of Jot Magazine. I have to say that I was not aware of this Australian-based company, but when I opened my box, I was SO impressed with the beautiful colors, patterns and embellishment that I received. 

Issue 16 of Jot Magazine features a beautiful Cocoa Vanilla Studio gallery, and the projects created by my fellow former Jot Girls are just spectacular. I'd love to share my 8-1/2" x 11" layout with you today! The photo of my goddaughter taken at our local park was so perfect for this collection- colorful and playful. 

Supplies | Cardstock: Bazzill, Other products: (all from Cocoa Vanilla Studio Make a Wish collection) Hip Hooray, Fresh Cut, Loot Bag, chipboard accent stickers, puffy stickers, vellum accents, die-cut ephemera, enamel dots- sparkles

I had so much fun choosing the products for this layout. The blonde woodgrain that I used for the background page gave it warm, sunny feel and I used a horizontal band of the Hip Hooray paper with Fresh Cut over the top. The flowers on the paper worked perfectly with the floral dress in the photo. 

My favorite part of this layout was the title. I fussy cut the word "beautiful" from the Loot Bag paper, then paired that with the die-cut "you" that I cut from my Silhouette Cameo with a cursive font. To ground my title, I added the colorful heart strip from the die-cut ephemera pack, which gave my words a place to rest and not seem to appear floating at the bottom of the page. I didn't add too much embellishment to the page, but a couple of stars, puffy stickers, die-cuts and enamel dots added the perfect touch.

I love this page, and I love this collection! If you haven't had a chance to take a look at Cocoa Vanilla Studio's products, please visit their website, and be prepared to be inspired! 

Happy Monday and have a great week!

December Project Life Spreads

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I'm about six months behind with my Project Life spreads from 2016, but I'm trying not to let that stop me from finishing up this project. I wanted to start with the 'elephant in the room,' my December spreads. It's definitely the month that I've taken the most photos, so there was a lot to document. Plus, I decided early on not to take on a December Daily album project this year, so these pages are all that I'm documenting for the month.

I started off with my first page setting the tone for the entire month. I typically try to choose a multicolored card that can set my color scheme, and I did that with the multicolored starburst card in the second row. From there, I chose other tags to coordinate with that one to fill the remainder of my pages. The bright color scheme worked perfectly for the things that we did this month, including a trip to Hawaii and Disneyland.

I kept my embellishment quite simple, but used a lot of stamps to create and add to my filler tags.  I love the Magic Journaling Cards no. 1 from In a Creative Bubble, and I was excited to use that 4" x 6" castle tag, embellished with just a few rhinestones.

Page four was all about the week leading up to Christmas, which I spent with my family, so I had lots of journaling to add. On the right side, I put my Christmas present tags in the pockets. My parents loved them, and took some of them home, so these were the leftovers.

My final page was all about the week after Christmas and my daughter's surgery. You might just see a little sneak peek on this page of fun things to come from Elle's Studio. Stay tuned! 

I can't wait to wrap up 2016 in it's album. I guess I had better get to work documenting and filling those pockets! 

Make it Yourself Mini Valentines with Elle's Studio Products

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I LOVE, love, love the new products at Elle's Studio this month, but my favorite new item in the shop is the Love You Journaling Tags. I decided to use them to create mini valentines, and I'm sharing the step-by-step process for each simple card on the Elle's Studio blog today!

Using a few supplies from the Elle's Studio shop, you can create twelve different variations of these sweet little cards- perfect for your loves on Valentine's Day! 

Shop all of this Elle's Studio product through the links below, and follow the simple step-by-step instructions included in my post on Elle's Studio blog today! 

Happy Valentine's Day, and happy creating! 

Jot Magazine Issue 16 Patterned Paper Gallery: Sticks & Adventures

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Today I'd love to share a new layout with you featured in Jot Magazine's Issue 16 Patterned Paper Gallery! This layout came together quickly and easily by using supplies from the same collection, Saturday by Dear Lizzy for American Crafts, with the Funky Rectangles Background from Just Nik Studio.

After cutting pieces of patterned paper from the 12" x 12" patterned paper pack, I slid them behind the Funky Rectangles Background die-cut. To keep the background clean, and to keep the photo the focus of my layout, I didn't back each rectangle with patterned paper. I also backed my photo with a photo mat of black patterned paper, making it stand out on the page.

My title was created with a mix of the Saturday collection Thickers & plain black chipboard Thickers.

Since the mix of color and pattern on the page was already in the background, the layout didn't require much further embellishment. A few die-cuts, brads, puffy stickers and a clip just added texture. I love the way this layout turned out, and it was simple by using a mix of products from the same collection.

Shop the beautiful Saturday collection using the links below: