I be on my SUiT & tIE...Scrapbook Circle Hipster Challenge

My layout for Scrapbook Circle Hipster Challenge...

I love the colors and patterns, they remind me of a retro diner or bowling alley,

some funky outdoor signage and That 70's Show.

And while Sam isn't necessarily a Hipster, he is certainly awesome!

We love this song from Justin Timberlake, perfect for my little man in his bow tie...

which unbelievably, he loves to wear!

 Even the orange rub-ons from Basic Grey are fuzzy and make me think of a sofa from 1972!

 I had to include this die-cut from Crate Paper with the finger pointing "Ladies THIS WAY"

I got a little crazy with my pen and tried to make it sketchy and doodle around the edges and stamps...

Thanks for checking it out and have a super funkified Saturday!

I'll be back tomorrow with a post highlighting some of my favorite projects as a DT Member 

at Elle's Studio & Love My Tapes...my time on those teams sadly ends tomorrow.

"WORD" - Elle's Studio + Jenni Bowlin

This was the second project I did for the Elle's Studio DT hop we did with Jenni Bowlin!

Using the Cameron collection from ES and Modern Mercantile from JBS,

I did the complete opposite from the first LO I made.  For the first project I wanted to use 

the boy collection for a more feminine page, but here I wanted it to be all boy!

I loved the stamps that are part of the Modern Mercantile collection and this definition stamp

was perfect, since in most of these photos my son was saying "word" when I asked for a pose.

He is going through a stage where he doesn't want to be "cute"...he wants to be "cool".

He can't stand that his older sister's friends think he is cute...oh if he only knew! ;)

Anyhoo, this might be my favorite Jenni Bowlin product to date, the bleached wood grain washi!

It is so pretty...I love wood grain, I love washi...and the bleached look is unique!  Lovely.

And by far, other than the vellum, the new frames that Elle's Studio has added to 

their collections is my favorite!  I used one here to tuck some of the JBS paper into to 

point to the photo, rather than frame it... It was an awesome Blog Hop, though now over, 

you can still see all the amazing projects from both DT's on both blogs! 

Thanks for looking and Happy Friday!! (woohoo!)

grace. & Start to Finish Video { for My Mind's Eye June Sketch Challenge }

I think I mentioned that I was starting to get a little weary of this color scheme...I lied.

I love it!  Can't get enough, especially combined with gold and baby girls.

I used the June Sketch from My Mind's Eye for this layout and the new collection 'Find Your Wings and Fly'...might be my all time favorite from MME, or at least a close second to 'Follow Your Heart!'

It is gorgeous and full of my favorite colors and patterns...lots of lovely B sides with polka dots and chevrons!  Yummy.  And I loved these phrase stickers, they actually made me reach for these

old photos...over 8 years old :( of my daughter learning to walk!  

I made a process video which you can find on My YouTube channel or by clicking the video below!

I mixed some acrylic paints with modeling paste and layered it over this awesome stencil from the Crafter's Workshop.  I held in place with washi and it worked beautifully...lots of structure and it dried a lot

faster than I would have thought.  I will be reaching for it a lot!!  

The title is sort of a play on that, and I am not making fun of her at all but she inherited her mother's grace, I mean lack of!  But, she never gave up and she fell a LOT.  But she always jumped right back up...

Still fits her personality today and it is one of the things I am most proud of.

  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope this layout of the video inspired you 

to try something new on your backgrounds!  Happy crafting!

your smile sParkles...& Start to Finish Video!

After spending a week at the beach and several weeks before that pretending to be

our general contractor for our bathroom renovation, I haven't had much time for being 

creative at all!  And I miss it, crave it...am cranky without it!  (Yep, people will vouch for that.)

So, now that I have a little more time, I finally got around to making another video!

And I used the Sunday Sketch from Sunday Calico for my layout inspiration!

You can click on the link below or go to My You Tube Channel to watch the process.

I loved this sketch, simple, clean and graphic...which is my style for everything else,

but I have been having trouble NOT layering a page like it lives in the North Pole!

But, I love Stephanie Bryan's style, really love it and so I tried really hard, for her to keep it simple ;)

We had sparklers on Memorial Day and I got some great shots outside in the dark.

The gold lights from the sparklers came out so perfect and clear, 

it almost looks like a slow motion picture!  I thought the pictures would look great with 

all the constellation and star trends flooding the market these days.  

And let's face it, I will use any excuse right now to be able to use gold Thickers!!

In fact, now that I look at it, I really feel the need to add some layers...it looks naked

compared to the things I have been doing lately!! :)  But a change every now and then is good!

Especially, when it doesn't involve a sledge hammer and weeks of self-induced renovation remorse and anxiety!!  That is a change that should only happen once every couple years, or 5 at least!

Thanks for checking it out!  Happy Monday!

RECORDED blue.bird - Elle's Studio + Jenni Bowlin Blog Hop!!

I was thrilled to be a part of the Elle's Studio / JBS Blog Hop this week!

Well it is actually still going, until June 24th!  

Both the Cameron collection from Elle's Studio and the Modern Mercantile from Jenni Bowlin are beautiful.

And although at first glance, seem very different, they worked so well together!  

I think that says a lot about the versatility of the collection!  Cameron is Elle's Studio's

first "boy" themed collection, and that is why I decided to do a very light, feminine page.

To show just how versatile it could be!

I love the soft greens and blues from Jenni Bowlin and the die cut feathers might be my new favorite!

Ok, let me back up...I wanted to scrap these photos from my daughter's first voice recital.

She looked so pretty and she was AMAZING!  All alone on a stage in front of at least 300 people or so.

She was calm, cool and collected...very unlike her mother! ;)

The song she performed was one of my favorites by Sara Bareilles "Bluebird"

I have a little crush on birds, mostly cardinals, but I'll take bluebirds any day.

So, she sang and became our little songbird.  Daddy brought her a dozen white roses. Sniff, sniff.

One of the pieces of the cut apart journaling sheet from Jenni Bowlin had this 'RECORDED'

title and was perfect as a backdrop for some of the lyrics I printed out on vellum.

JBS also has these thumb tack rubons that have numbers and other symbols on them...

I used the little one with the heart to draw the eye down to that bottom cluster and help balance 

out the dark parts of the photos.  And I am a pretty hard critic when it comes to rubons...

Unless it is really loose project or mixed media, I think rubons should really come off smooth and easy.

These work like a dream since it was over an uneven surface!  

I used the alpha stamp set that is part of the Cameron collection to stamp 'blubird' on that journaling card.

The Blog Hop is going on through Monday the 24th!

Go check out all the really cool creations our DT and the designer's from JBS came up with!

And, there are PRIZES to be won!!  So go HERE and check it out...no, really.  Go! :)

Happy Friday!

WISH upon a STARFISH...Wednesday Post @ Love My Tapes!

 I love to find new uses and ideas for products that aren't necessarily intended.  

For example, lace might not sound like something that you would associate with a 

piece of sea life.  However, I had seen a photo of a starfish that was gritty & porous 

with color and texture reminding me of this tape! 

I decided to play off a 'Wish Upon a Star' or simply 'Wish' theme and used 

this taupe lace tape from Love My Tapes for my "starfish."  

I added a tiny piece of washi at the top of one of my all time favorite tapes.

I also used some patterned paper & letter stickers from the new MME collection 

"Find Your Wings And Fly" which is gorgeous...I love it all!  

And I made some waves using a couple different vellums from Elle's Studio.  

Perfect for the scraps I refuse to throw away!!  "MY preecioouuussss...!" [vellum]

Thanks for checking it out and the June Challenge is still going on the LMT Blog!

the princess and the peaNUT...Scrapbook Circle June Sketch

This is a layout I did using the June Scrapbook Circle Sketch with the Scrapbook Circle kit from May!

The photos are of my daughter and my niece who just love each other so much, despite the 5 year age difference...usually I would say because my daughter likes to be the boss, but my niece is the boss.

Age has nothing to do with it!  We call my daughter "peanut" and so this title was perfect!

 I had planned to use the June kit, but these photos went so much better with all the colors

from the May kit.  There was a little piece of tulle ribbon I glued together, misted and made a

little flower/sun embellishment with.  I love using this background paper from Amy Tangerine 

because it has just a little bit sketched onto an otherwise neutral patterned paper...

and it is a perfect place to start or end with more embellishment!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Happy Daddy's Day!!

One of the best things about die-cuts, snippets and tags is their ability to form into a card in 2.5 seconds!

Well, maybe 10 minutes in reality, but I needed a super fast (sorry for not spending more time) card to

give to Daddy today.  And after being out of town for a week, blowing up half our house to renovate 

(my son's terminology), the end of school AND let's throw in a tummy bug we passed around to everyone including the contractor (I didn't get it...first time EVER!) I didn't plan as much as I meant to!  

So, as I said...I had a bunch of 'Cameron' collection snippets and journaling tags from 

Elle's Studio on my desk and literally threw this together!  Seriously, paper was flying! ;)

And wanted to wish a Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers, Grandfathers, Step Fathers, 

Father-to-be, Uncles, Father-figures and anyone else who is male and supportive of anyone else in their life...

Whew!  I hope that covered it!  Happy Sunday!

EXCITING NEWS {+ "a quiet moment" & a little updating!}

Wow!  It seems like FOREVER since I posted last!

We have been at the beach for the last week and just got back a little while ago.

AND, I get to share some exciting news!

I am going to be on the Design Team at the Scrap Our Stash Challenge Blog!

I hate not being able to share fun news like this, but the wait is over...

I am excited about working with this team in what I think is the ultimate scrapbook recycling program!

Well, that may be my excuse for buying new product ;)

But, it is a great Blog that has wonderful challenges to encourage all of us to use up our stash!

Oh, and that whole prize part of it, you know to add back to your stash...heh, heh.

I love challenges, as you may know, because I always seem to find something I forgot, 

or look at something in a new way...or use that giant stack of something (there are too many to name)

that I really needed to have and either hoarded, pushed to the side, or more likely got buried! :)

Anyway, I will begin my term on July 1st and I would love for everyone to check

out their blog and see all the fun and active designers who are scrapping their stash!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of using some things from my Stash, and in preparation for our trip to the beach,

I made this new LO, but didn't get to post it before now.

I loved one of the latest Elle's Studio Thursday sketches that was really top heavy.

ALthough I didn't use any Elle's stuff, I came across this Glitz paper (see giant stack above!) and

 thought it  would be a good base to add the info at the bottom and still use the entire piece of paper!

I have a couple large white wood trays that I keep current kits, DT projects,

and other things I want to keep on hand.  In an effort to clean my work area,

I started going through the things piled up in those trays that I thought I was so organized about...

...and realized, there are things from last month, last season and even last year!

  

This is a photo of my daughter as we arrived at our trip to the beach last June.

She was trying to show enormous patience while we unloaded everything, 

in an effort to set an example for her brother! (I hope...)

There are some new things in the LO, but a lot of old negatives from Silhouette cuts
that are one of my favorite things to layer into a project!  Talk about recycling! ;)

I have lots of catching up to do from the past week, and have lots of sketches, ideas and
journaling while being away from my craft room!

Love My Tapes - JUNE Challenge!

Love My Tapes is having a 'Masculine-Theme' challenge this month in honor of Father's Day

and other special men in our life!  Here is the card I made for the challenge and for one of the 

special Fathers in mine!  I used paper from both the Cameron and Saltwater collections 

from Elle's Studio and the happy Father's Day die-cut was part of the Elle's Studio May kit!

For the washi I used the green bubbles confetti tape and taped it diagonally on a piece of

white cardstock. Then I cut that card stock in half and turned one half over to make my chevron 

pattern with the tapes. I also used the wood grain washi at the top of the die cut to tie it all together.

Thanks for checking it out!
There is lots of unique inspiration from the other DT members on the Love My Tapes blog!

ELLE'S STUDIO - June SALTWATER & CAMERON Reveal #3

Hello June!
 (can't believe you are already here...)

This is the card that I did for my final project as a DT member at Elle's Studio.

I used both the Saltwater and Cameron collections just to get the colors matching for my butterflies.  

Some are in vellum, one is layered vellum over patterned paper, lots of mixing!

I used one of the large tab cards from the May 2013 Kit as the main part of the card, 
stitched thru the butterflies to make the body & antennae ;) and rounded the corners!
Multi-purpose cards are great when you need something in a pinch.  
I love making specifically tailored cards for one recipient, but sometimes it is nice to 
have a card that could be a generic thank you, hello, miss you card all in one!

You can see the rest of the collection HERE on Elle's website,

and also at Two Peas In a Bucket & A Cherry on Top to name a few!

Although this was my last official project for the monthly DT Inspiration Gallery at Elle's Studio,
I will be posting some more throughout the month using these new collections!
We are going to the beach in a couple days and I always come home with lots to scrap about!

ELLE's STUDIO - June CAMERON Reveal #2

'X' marks the BOY!

And the new Cameron collection, which is awesome!  

Fun colors, versatile tags and was perfect for a page about my little Pirate!  

There is a great mix of rigid graphic elements and hand drawn looking pieces as well. 

And the stamps!  Love them...Especially the alpha stamps.

Can't say enough about them...perfect size and super fun font!

I distressed the edges for a little treasure map feel and used one of the arrow stamps

to lead from the 'X' to the title and journaling...I also used one of the other stamps

included in the alpha set to stamp the lines for my journaling.  

 And some of the stamps include these little hand drawn looking stars!  

These stamps might become my all time favorite Elle's Studio product!

You can see the rest of the collection HERE on Elle's website,

and also at Two Peas In a Bucket & A Cherry on Top to name a few!

shine ON...

I mostly used the new Elle's Studio Saltwater collection for this layout, 

however it wasn't part of the Design Team Reveal...

I just love that collection and planned out lots of pages for it and the other new 

Cameron collection.  I also used lots of other bits and pieces, that I either 

came across clearing out some drawers or just can't get enough of, like sequins!

This photo was from a trip to the beach almost 4 years ago...hard to believe!

The friends we went with had no children and now their son is 3 years old!!

How time flies!  

Anyway, as usual, by the time we arrive it is late afternoon or early evening & 

our first walk on the beach is around sunset.  This one was pink and orange and gorgeous 

and cast the most lovely glow in all the photos.

  

We had taken my daughter right before she started Kindergarten, leaving our son at home,

with the grandparents, not alone!  We wanted to spend some time with just her, before

someone else would see more of her than we would. It was a nice little excursion and one

we all will definitely remember. 

ELLE's STUDIO - June SALTWATER Reveal #1

Introducing SALTWATER!  

Just in time for our annual trip to the beach!  These are some photos from last year's

trip and the kids' constant competition to find the most, the biggest and most perfect shells!

And speaking of perfect, this new collection is perfect for it!  

I am usually not into a lot of themed collections because I sometimes find them limiting.

However, there are so many products in this line that can be used for anything, not just summer.

You can see the rest of the collection HERE on Elle's website,
and also at Two Peas In a Bucket & A Cherry on Top to name a few!

One of my favorite parts of the new collections from Elle's Studio is the frames!

And we take LOTS of instagram photos so they are perfect!  

I am also a sucker for wood grain, and this one is so warm and realistic to me, 

it just reminds me of a deck in the sunshine at the beach.

My other favorite parts of the new collections (ok, I have LOTS of favorites) is the vellum...oh, so lovely.
I die cut this piece on my Silhouette for the title which I cut up and made it a bit more obscure,
appropriate since the title is "Seek."

I have been so busy with the end of the school year and a house renovation that I haven't had
much of a chance to be creative...this is one of those layouts that just came together
without much fussing, which is rare...in fact, all my pages from this reveal came out like that.
That may be a sign of a versatile collection, an optimistic, creative environment or a time crunch! ;)
I will be on a posting frenzy over the next week before our trip, to share all
my layouts with both the Saltwater and Cameron collections!

Don't forget to check out all the inspiration at the Design Team Gallery on the blog...
There are so many great ideas!!