2017 | Feb Blog Update!

Hey everyone!

I'm here with a little update about what's going on right now! I'm not here to share my layouts for this week, I really wish I was! I miss crafting already ...

I'm missing crafting because I am actually in ... Seattle!

 

Where are my Grey's Anatomy fans at? LOL.

For those of you who don't know, I actually live in Houston TX. I'm a bit far away from home as I'm in Seattle for a little over a week. My fiance and I are actually avid toy collectors and we are here, for the first time, attending Emerald City Comic Con. 

We actually arrived earlier than the convention so that we could do some sightseeing! We have already visited the Space Needle, the Seattle Aquarium, the Great Wheel, and Pike Place Market! There is so much to do here, so many memories to make, and so many photos have already been taken! 

I'll be posting a recap when I am back as long as some layouts - get ready to see A LOT of Seattle layouts! ha! 

In March, I will be having TONS of free time for crafting since my fiance is actually working at the Houston Rodeo for three weeks. It takes up A LOT of his time, and while I'll miss him when he isn't home, it does give me some free time to catch up on everything - layouts, project life, mini albums, my little sticker business, so that's where all my time is going! 

I'll definitely have a lot to share on here!  

See you guys in a week! 

Layout #12 | I love the rain!

Hey there!

I'm a little behind on my post but I really wanted to showcase the second layout I created this week!

I honestly love the rain. I have a slight obsession for it, I really do. It has to do with me being a water sign, a pieces. I just notice this yesterday, ha!

To start the layout, I always prep my cardstock with Liquetex Gesso. I usually pick it up at Michaels. I use the white gesso for white paper, and clear gesso for colored cardstock. Instead of using my favorite watercolors, the Lowell-Castell, I used Tim Holtz Mini Distress Inks in the colors Hickory Smoke, Blueprint Sketch, and Faded Jeans. I watercolored sporadically through the layout and then flicked on some darker paint splotches.

To give my background more texture, I found this Simon Says Stamp "Rainfall" Stencil and some white texture paste and used that to create faded rain in my background. On the background, I also used a few Pretty Pink Posh sequins and some Studio Calico puffy stickers.

The thickers for my title are from Studio Calico and from American Crafts. I added a lot of embellishments from Freckled Fawn, the chipboard stars and words. Behind my picture, I added some patterned paper, and two Heidi Swapp chipboard frames. The cloud paper clip is also from Freckled Fawn.

I really feel in love with this. It designed me perfectly! I will definitely create another layout about the rain! Thanks for joining me again!

Until next time,

Layout #11 | Happy Scarlet!

Hello again!

I am back with another layout share for you! I feel like it has been a while since I created a layout, but I am still going!

I actually have a plan to create around 20 layouts in March since I will have tons of free time. I've made a schedule and I've actually pre-designed what I am thinking in regards to backgrounds, photos, and what products I want to use so that I have access to them.

In March, I'm also going to catch up on Project Life! I haven't even started 2017 yet, but I definitely will! It's a project I love and I am sticking to it, so in March I am definetly catching up! I have all the photos for January done, and February are almost done. By the end of March, I want to be completely caught up with Project Life, and have at least 35 layouts done. That's the goal!

Here is the layout I created for today:

The other day we took our niece with us to Wal-Mart and she just wouldn't stop playing with these balls. She took them everywhere, and at the end we bought two for her because she couldn't choose one! 

I took this picture when she was trying to grab all three of them at the same time, and I decided to use it for this layout.  

To start this layout, I stitched a heart in the background. The heart was created using the heart template from Paige Evan's fancy free line. To  add a little bit extra embellishment, I also stitched some buttons from the button pack with the background as well. 

To bring your eye to the layout and add dimension, I added two chipboard frames underneath the photo. A large one, and a small one on the left side of the photo. Both chipboard frames are from Heidi Swapp. I went ahead and added die-cuts from both Cocoa Vanilla Studio, and the Fancy Free ephemera. To add a bit more color, I also found two floral stickers from an old Dear Lizzy collection. I also added two flair buttons on the layout as well, both from Studio Calico. 

For my title, I used the Pink Paislee C'est La Vie gold dipped alphabet and a wood veneer from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. I painted the wood veneer white to match the layout as well with some acrylic paint. To finish the layout, I added my journal with a Pilot Juice 0.38mm Pen. I love this pen! It's really good for journaling also along with the Paper-mate flair pens as well! 

That was it, just something cute and creative for my niece! Thanks for joining me again! 

Until next time, 

Layout #10 | Love This

Hello again,

Welcome back! I'm here with another layout share for you!

This one features another page kit. I had two in my stash and I really wanted to demonstrate how quick and easy these are for you!

These were the two that I used this week:

Here is the second layout this week:

To start a layout, I always look at the product and I look at what I am working with. In this page kit, we had a die-cut, a 12x12 background, a few embellishments, a title, and some adhesive strips. 

To give the layout a different texture, I actually cut the heart out and raised it using some foam dots. You won't see it in the picture, but the heart is actually raised from the 12x12 background. 

I did do some stitching around the entire heart. It needed something on the background as well. 

I did try and use some watercolors in the background but because the patterned paper is glossy it tend to not dry and when I used my heat gun to try and heat it up, it did not work either. You could try some thick acrylic paints and I think they would be much better. I would just let it dry overnight. 

I just picked two photos, both from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. I really loved going there and I want to scrapbook every photo I have since I have a slight obsession with Harry Potter! 

I used all the embellishments in the page kit, including the tittle. I only added the tag underneath one photo and it was from the Crate Paper "Hello Love" collection! 

That was it! Like I mentioned, very quick, easy and fun to make! I do miss making backgrounds for my layouts - so much that I already have four made! This layouts don't take too much time to make - maybe ten to twenty minutes so I caught up on some weeks ahead since I know what I want to scrap! I can't wait to show you what else I have made! 

Until next time, 

Layout #9 | So play .. and go!

Hey there! 

Thanks for joining me again! I'm back with another layout share! 

I really love showing you what I have created for this big cumulative project I am taking on. It's starting to not feel like a project anymore .. It's starting to feel like a fun creative release! 

In my studio, I have two tables - one for work, one for creating. On my creating table, I have three backgrounds already made for stories and for layouts. I feel so proud. I honestly love creating backgrounds. I tend to think most about my background and how I want to layout my projects. I already have my two layouts for next week halfway done - I just need to pick out some photos and create away! 

Onto this week's layout: 

I actually changed it up this week and used a page kit! 

Page kits are kits designed for simplicity and are definitely easy to use! If you want to create or see if scrapbooking is something to want to try, a page kit is definitely for you because everything is there for you! These kits have your background, adhesive, embellishments all ready for you! 

I personally decided to spice up my layout by first raising the die-cut up to give the layout another form of layout and some dimension. This cut file screamed dimension for me. 

I used everything in the Fancy Free page kit, except for the title provided. I incorporated some embellishments from my stash and some ephemera pieces from the Fancy Free ephemera pack! 

I finished the layout with journaling on the tag provided, and a little details tag with the date! Creating this layout was so simple, and it went so fast! I think I finished it within 10 minutes! 

One thing I would really change is I would have used a sewing machine and stitched the entire die-cut. I feel like that would have added so much texture and just another awesome element. If you have a sewing machine and this page kit, I suggest you try it and let me know how it comes out! 

I really really want a sewing machine .. just for paper! ha! I saw this cute one at our local Wal-Mart and stared at it for a few minutes before walking away. If I do end up getting it you guys will be the first to know! 

Until next time, 

Layout #8 | Sweet You

Hey there!

Thank you for coming back to join me for yet another layout share!

I recently applied to a design team and one of the requirements was to make a project for the application. Layout #7 and this layout are the layouts I created for the application. If I get good news, you guys will be the first to know!

When I decided to apply for the design team, I really felt inspired. I looked at what was around and started putting everything together.

You can see my first layout in the blog post before this, and this is the layout for today!

I honestly love this layout in every shape, form, and color! It really showcases me in a layout! It's bright, it's colorful, it has a cute photo, and it has some cute embellishments!

The biggest thing that inspired my was this Inkadinkado Stamping Mask Paper! I recently pulled out a punch of supplies that I had stored  and I saw this on top, and I thought "You know what? This can create something really nice!" And it did...

I cut out some butterflies using this masking paper, both small and large, with my silhouette cameo! If you don't have a silhouette, you can definitely cut these by hand, or you could even print some of from the internet, trace, and then cut them as well!

I scattered the butterflies to the right, because I knew that I wanted them to be bursting from the photo. The masking paper will left a few times, but it is fine - just use a smooth surface, like a ruler to continuous press them down.

I have a stash of Studio Calico Color Theory Spray Mists that I got a while back. All of there mist can be found here. You can also use any other water soluble mist as well. For this technique, I used a piece of transparency, sprayed the mist on the transparency and then added water to the mist to dilute it. I then pressed it onto the paper make sure that I smoothed out the area of butterflies I was going to be pressing the butterflies on first.

I did in rainbow order, going back and forth and just making it colorful! I even splatter a few spots around the layout to make the color even on both sides of the layout!

I chose a photo of my niece on I. We are both wearing sunglasses and we look very cute. I backed it with some vellum and I created layouts from Cocoa Vanilla Studio's Love Always ephemera pack and wood veneer pieces. It had butterflies die-cut in it as well and I knew it would work perfectly!

To finish the layout, I used an old fabric like thickers to spell out the word "you" and I added my journaling in the lower right corner.

That was it! I really hope you like this layout and continue following me on this fun, creative journey!

Until next time,

Layout #7 | Fun Adventures

Hey there!

I'm back with layout #7! I've been really liking making layout so much that I am currently on track with 2 layouts per week! I really want to be innovated and change it up and even challenge myself to stay on track and create new layouts to show you and even inspire you!

With that being said, I wanted to show you what I created this week!

This layout was actually created for a design team application! (Wish me luck!) I won't say what company but here is a hint - they sell and create really cute, and really inspiring scrapbooking kits! It makes me nervous to apply, but I have no fear. Fear should never stop for accomplishing what you want, or stopping your dream!

I create two layouts for the application, and you will see the other one in the next post! I really really loved creating this layout! It is so fun to just sit down, see what inspires you, and create.

For this layout, I started with a soft blue spotted patterned paper. I knew I wanted to bring on some color, a lot of color, so I went with a soft background. 

I backed star-shaped die cuts (these die-cuts are from Big Picture Classes and can be found in Paige's Pages #7) with patterned paper from Paige Evan's Take Me Away collection. I used the 6x6 paper pad to cut fun little triangles that would fit in the back of the die-cut. 

To add some texture, I hand stitched all around each star. I used a simple back stitch to apply a white thread border around each star. This takes some time, but I LOVE the look it gives each star. 

I choose three photos, one from different days, and I create three different clusters by adding stickers, chipboard, patterned paper, tabs, paper-clips, die-cuts which are all from the Take Me Away collection. 

To finish each star cluster, I dated each of the photos with the date they were taken. I just stamped using regular black ink and chose a different space to stamp on. 

For my title, I grabbed one of my thicker packs and chose "fun" from the package. Using the Take Me Away thickers, I spelt out the word "adventures".

To complete the layout, I filled some space in with the yellow bow sticker, and I also brought out a heart sticker on the left to tie in the colors that were in the Take Me Away thickers. I drew some lines with a pencil first for some journaling and then wrote in my journaling with a fine tip pen erasing the pencil marks I had previously. 

That was it! The layout took a little bit more time than usual but it was definitely worth it! I love the way it turned out and I love the final layout.

Until next time, 

Layout #6 | Hello, My Love

Hey guys!

I'm back with another layout to share with you guys.

I feel like I took a step back with this layout, tying something that I have learned together into this layout but still going back to that color-on-color look.

I'm pretty sure I am going to try and step out of my comfort zone after this layout. I really want to try new techniques, different products, things like that, and there is no other place to do it than this challenge.

Here is the layout I created.

This is #6/100. 

For this layout, I started with the circles. These circles are from Paige Evan's Fancy Free collection. It is paper #3. I punched out the circles using a 1 1/2 inch circle punch and I adhered them using some temporary glue because I was going to stitch a border around them.

I've concluded that I can stitch everything else but circles. 

When I started stitching the circles, I just wasn't feeling it. I love the look of stitching and I wanted to add some textures here and there but I just decided to leave it alone and stitch something else (which is coming up too). 

I picked two photos this time, because I wanted to use the photo on the lower left, and I worked on building two clusters one on each corner.

Most of the embellishments on the circles are from Studio Calico. A few are from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. The title was created with stickers from Crate Paper and thickers from American Crafts. Any other embellishments were from Crate Paper, as well.

I adhere everything onto a striped patterned paper from an old SC kit, and called the layout done!

Is a layout truly ever done?
I feel like you can always add on one more thing!

In the future, I am going to try my best and get a much better list of supplies for you guys! I have a few emails asking me what I used in passed layout and I am working on it! If you have any questions, just find me on IG!

Until next time,

Hauls | January Recap

Hey guys!

I wanted to show you guys a few purchases I made in January for my 100 layout challenge, and for my projects this year.

If you don't follow me on Instagram (link in sidebar) you should! I tend to post a lot of items there!

From Hobby Lobby: 12x12 White Cardstock, (3) packs of thickers: two are from Amy Tangerine and one is from American Crafts, 6x6 Pink Paislee C'est La Vie Paper Pad, Disney Mickeyhead Punch, Martha Stewart Large Bow Punch

From Tuesday Morning: If you are looking for Scrappy Deals, see if one is in your area! I picked up an Amy Tangerine alphabet stamp set, chipboard alphabet from Pink Paislee C'est la Vie, Maggie Holmes 6x6 paper pad, and an alphabet thickers from American Crafts.

Frecked Fawn has this amazing Birthday Warehouse Box that I picked up! I'll be posting an unboxing on my Youtube Channel this week!

Pink Paislee's MOONSTUCK collection (minus the rub-ons)! You guys, this collection is me. It screams my personality and I really want to use it. I even want to pick up two of everything because I am afraid of running out items. It is so beautiful. I picked most of it from Butterfly Reflections Ink, and Blue Moon Scrapbooking.

From Joann's : 6x6 Paper Pads from Pink Paislee, and Crate Paper, my word from Ali Edwards, and some alphabets from Amy Tangerine, American Crafts, some photo booklets, some rub-ons, wood veneer, and a chipboard cover all from American Crafts!

If you see anything you like, let me know and I can try my best to get you a link. If you see anything in store, I highly recommend getting it soon!

Until next time,

Layout #5 | Celebrate

Hey everyone!

We are on layout #5 out of 100. I struggled with this layout.
It's going to happen a few times throughout the year, but you have to keep on going!

Here is what the layout started as:

At first, I really liked it!

I really wanted to use this bow punch that I had found from Martha Stewart at Hobby Lobby, and I wanted the bows to be the focus of the background.

After moving the bows everyone, I decided on the placement I used above, trying something different, and trying something I had never done before.

I ended up tearing the layout apart. Ha!

I didn't like the white background. It was a little too much white, and I needed more color. I really needed more color ...

So I did this:

It helped, but I know in the future I want to go back to those bow punches, and I really enjoyed playing with my spray mist and my gesso. I want to go back to playing with paints.

For this layout, I started with a white background and punched out fifteen bows. You can use any bow punch to create the same look. For the background, I used some old Studio Calico spray mist from their Color Theory line to create colors that matched the bows I punched. I used a bunch of scraps to create the bows, but my goal was to choose similar color styles.

To tone down the crazy spraying of the mist, I used my hands and applied some white gesso around the entire layout. I wanted for pops of color to poke through.

I added the bows to the layout at the bottom, and I placed my photo on the top right and I ended up adhering a patterned paper that had a lot of color behind it as well. I finally used the big gold celebrate from my stash. It is a transparency from the Maggie Holmes Confetii collection!

To embellishment, I found a small acrylic piece, a tag, a tab,  a chipboard piece, and a small tag with some wording on it - all from my stash. I've been trying to use my stash more often, but I really need to write a list of the items I use for you guys!

For my journaling, I hid it behind the photo again. I love doing that. I'm going to spend out and try to incorporate my journaling into my layouts more!

I cannot wait to create some more. Thanks for joining me!

Until next time,

Layout #4 | Friends

Hey everyone!

Back again with another layout!

We are already in February, can you believe that? I feel like it was just 2016 yesterday. If I want to reach my goal of 100 layouts, I need to get the ball rolling... I went back to look at my time and I saw that in order to reach my goal, I have to complete 2 layouts per week. Oh man, that's a tough one.

Is it doable?

Absolutely.

All I have to do is focus, and be open with my time. I've been thinking of starting a time management schedule, or moving over to a hourly planner so that I can give myself time per day as opposed to trying to do one thing per day or little list per day.

That's another blog topic, but I wanted to show you the layout I created!

The other day I went to visit some friend that I hadn't seen in a long time. This photo of us being silly really inspired the layout because I wanted to document being with them! 

It made me think about the things I wanted to document. I will almost always document about my fiancé and I, and most likely my family but I really need to do some layout about myself. So I grabbed a mini notebook I had laying around and started writing down what I want to complete this year - the crafty projects of 2017. I'll be posting about this later, since I want to use it and see where I go with it. I want to use it for a bit and keep it around my desk to give a little feedback on it. 

For this layout, I was inspired by the half punched circles that Paige Evans uses in her layouts. I have seen her do it more than once, and like her, I love color in my layouts. I used a 1 inch circle punch and I cut around 40 circles in half. I did use both halves. I just made sure to use them in another direction of the first piece. 

I placed those around in a circular shape, and focused on my photo. My photo has various different colors, so I chose the black friends thickers to place on top because I wanted to complete the dark colors in the photo and around the layout. I added a few embellishments, a sticker from My Minds Eye, Crate Paper, a tag and a few labels just to create a cluster around the photo. I dated the layout underneath the photo then I placed a label sticker on the side for some journaling. 

I hope you guys like my layouts! I'm sure my creativity will continue to grow and grow this year! 

Thanks for joining me! 

Until next time, 

Layout #3 | You hold my heart

Hey there!

Welcome back. I am at 3 out 100 layouts! I better pick up the pace if I want to reach my goal since January is almost over! I should have started off small, at least 50 layouts!

Oh well, I already started this project already - I will not quit now!

Do you guys remember this Studio Calico kit?

 

 c. Studio Calico

I fell in love with Studio Calico Project Life kit. It was their February kit from a year or two ago and I loved it so much that I bought two more whenever they had their Black Friday sale! 

Do you see the wood veneer piece in the photo? It's a 4x6 wood veneer piece with a lot of creative spaces, different sizes and plenty of options! 

With my kit, and the additional two I purchased I ended up with three of these wood veneer pieces. As I cleaning out my project life Raskog, I found this wood veneer piece and I just knew that my next layout would be centered around this wood veneer piece. 

I started with this old patterned paper from Studio Calico that I had in my stash. I've really been into using my stash lately. I purchased a few collections here and there, but this year I really want to scrap my stash. 

I grabbed an assortment of patterned papers, from Pink Paislee's Cie La Vie to My Mind's Eye Fancy That. I cut a ton of little pieces and back the entire wood veneer piece with it, even though I knew some would be blocked by the photo. I've had those vellum and transparency flowers and leaves for a very long time... I might actually have some more in my stash. 

Since the wood veneer piece would be my focal point, I made sure everything was centered around it. Behind the wood veneer, I placed two doilies, one white and one gold opposite each other. I created three of the flower clusters around the wood veneer. I added a small tag for my date and journaling, and I added white thickers for my title since there was so much color around the photo. 

For my photo, I backed it with some patterned paper just to separate it from the wood veneer piece. 

To finish it off, I wrote my journaling and dated the layout. 

That was it! A little bit more work, but way worth it! 

Until next time, 

One Little Word 2017 | Choosing OPEN

Hey there!

I'm back but with a different subject this time. I took a break away from layouts, just for a minute. I wanted to talk to you guys about my one little word for 2017.

I first started one little word two years ago. I chose the word Create.

I wanted to create memories, create moments, create actual projects, do so much more. I was successful. I utilized an 8.5x11 album and followed Ali Edwards through a year-long process. It was very moving and at the end of the year I was not ready to let go of create.

I never really did let it go, that first word reflects every word I have chosen now.

Last year, I chose the word Focus.

In reality, Focus chose me because that is what I wanted and I did focus ... until maybe early February. I wasn't working in the beginning of 2016 and when I did my life shifted for a turn. I started a sales job, it was very stressful and it took a lot out of me to do it.

Although it wasn't the right thing to do, I left that stressful job not too long ago. I put my two weeks in and I walked away.

Making this decision was coming. I knew in December that it was time. I was becoming very stressful, I had no time. I worked 30 hours a week, plus appointments, so it was very hard to have a day off especially since we made numbers to meet by the end of the month. Let's be honest, like everyone else, I was only there for the money...

This year, I chose the word Open.

I had a hard time choosing a word for this year. I really didn't craft the year before because of this job. It was stressful and time consuming and it was stopping me from what I loved most, crafting.

There were times when I did craft, and I loved it. I didn't have to worry about numbers or getting appointments, I did what I loved.

That sparked Open.

I want to be open with myself, allowing myself time to do what I love.
I want to be open with my fiancé, tell him how you feel and make more time for him. 
I want to be open with my family, seeing them more and visiting more often. 
I want to be open with crafting, more projects, more layouts, doing what you love. 
I want to be open with my little business, allowing myself to take a loss here or there but not letting myself get discouraged. You have to keep going. 
I want to be open with letting things go. I can get a temper sometimes, but I do not want to release that temper towards my fiancé or my family. 
I want to be open with my health, allowing myself to feel pressure about it, but taking an action toward it. 
I want to be open with taking actions, taking adventures, and seeing more of the world. 
I want to be less open with money. I want to save more than I spend, only buying what makes me feel happy not what looks pretty.
I want to be less open with media, phones, and computers. I want to take a few hours each week and stay away from computer screens. It is a much needed break.

That is my reasoning for choosing Open. Did you choose a word this year? What was it, and why? If you haven't and you are interested, I highly recommend visiting www.aliedwards.com and see what One Little Word is like for yourself.

Until next time,

Layout #2 | Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Hey there!

As you start to get to know me, you will know that I will love Disney. The first time I ever went to Disneyland was in 2013. I went with my fiancé and we were there from opening till close! My feet were in pain, I spent too much at the Disney store, I drank too much water the entire day, and I snacked on almost everything Mickey shaped!

It was the best amusement park experience ever!

I brought home so many memories and experiences and it was just amazing. Every time we go to California I always go to Disneyland, how can you not?

I haven't done any layouts for Disney before but I will definitely be! This is my first Disney layout!

I found this Mickey head punch at Hobby Lobby and it really sparked this layout. 

I started with a more softer patterned paper, definitely something gray and white, because I knew I was going to add on layers of colors. Using some white acrylic paint, I painted on white fussy circles. I used an ink dauber to swirl the white paint into circles all around the layout. I let that dry and then I grabbed my favorite Loew Cornell paint palette and colored the painted white circles only leaving a border around the color. 

I then punched out several Mickey heads, around fifteen. At first, I was going to leave them white but I decided to splatter color on them. The splattered color Mickey heads were placed right on top of the colored circles and I moved onto my photo.

I chose this photo of me and my fiance at Disneyland. This was our first time visiting Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and I loved it! Everything is halloween themed, including the food, the park, and even later in the party - you get some free candy! Yes, I am an adult but at Disneyland it doesn't matter - my fiancé and I did go trick or treating! I was so excited about the party that I even made my own Minnie ears! 

I embellished lightly around the photo, placing a floral chipboard from Crate Paper and a chipboard frame that I found in my stash. I also placed a few Crate paper stickers at the top of the layout and behind the photo I placed a library pocket holder, and inside I placed a 3x4 card with a gold clip on top and that held my journaling. 

Since I had embellished lightly around the photo, I went ahead and embellished all the mickey heads. I added a sequin, a brad, a chipboard piece, a paper clip, various different coordinating embellishments from my stash onto the Mickey heads. 

To finish it off, I created my title using some old Studio Calico thicker and the date of when we attended. 

I love this layout. 

I really do, just because it makes me so happy to look and I love how I felt when we took it.

It was really rainy that day. I've been going to California every summer for about four years now and before I go people always tell me - it doesn't rain in California. That is a myth. 

While it doesn't rain really heavy like it does here in Houston, TX. It does rain. It has every summer we have gone, and on this day it rained - all day. I'm lucky my ears made it through it all!

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this layout and I hope you return again!

Until next time,