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,

Layout #1 | Engaged!

Hey there!

Welcome back! I've returned to show you the first layout of 2017!

Last summer, in 2016, I got engaged! I've been with my fiancé for five years now, and he proposed to me at a event in San Diego, California last July in front of 1,000 people!

I couldn't believe it, and I couldn't believe that he did it at that event! That was the happiest I have ever felt! I cried immediately, and I cried the next day and I cried when I told my parents, and it was just amazing. It was a once in a life time experience so of course I was going to document it!

While getting back on the scrapbooking wagon, hoping that I don't fall off anymore, I went to Hobby Lobby to pick up some essentials - adhesive, white card stock, and plenty of papers that I probably already have but I thought they looked pretty. I even picked up some punches! I don't really own punches so this was a new one for me!

There's a quick haul pic for you, so you can get an idea of what I bought! Any who, the layout was inspired by this painting! 

There are so many possibilities and I know I will come back to it because I love rainbow, and I love butterflies! I already have an idea in the future because of this painting! 

This is what I came up with! 

I wanted a white background for sure, because I knew I was going to build on color. I stitched on the cream color heart first and then cut out difference sizes butterflies on my Silhouette Cameo. I then took this paint palette HERE and just started splattering everywhere I could with color. The next time I create a layout with this butterflies I want to pack on MORE color. 

I placed my photo on the lower right (my favorite place to put photos apparently) and add some embellishments from Crate Paper (Confetti collection) and a journaling tag I had in my stash! 

That was it, pretty simple yet some many possibilities for more! If you feel inspired by the painting, make a layout I would love to see what you come up with! Thanks for joining! 

Until next time,