Documenting My Love for The Gilmore Girls

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. 

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

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

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: 

• I mainly used products that I only had on hand: my working monthly pocket page album, pocket page protectors that I already had, and some supplies already in my stash. I find that when I order supplies and wait for them to arrive, I've lost interest in the project by the time it arrives.
• I didn't pressure myself to use my DSLR outside of the house. I feel completely uncomfortable with snapping photos with my BIG camera at Costco or Target on daily errands. So I told myself that photos taken with my iPhone were going to be just fine.
• Every night before bed, I used my Notes app to document an hour-by-hour breakdown of what happened during the day. When creating the project, I simply emailed those notes to myself and copied and pasted them into my Photoshop page, elaborating slightly from what I had written on the day.
• I kept to only one pocket page, front and back, per day. 
• I kept my supplies simple. (Supplies with an * are affiliate links. You don't pay any extra, but I get a small percentage of your sale! Thanks for your support!)
  • Ali Edwards' Week in the Life Digital Bundle
  • Ali Edwards' Lens Story Kit and Stamp (sold out)
  • Elle's Studio Everyday Labels Puffy Stickers - Gray *
  • Elle's Studio Work Hard Wood Veneer *
  • Elle's Studio NSD digital file (FREE!) *
  • Elle's Studio Puffy Heart Stickers *
  • Elle's Studio Dated Stamp *
  • Elle's Studio Happy Birthday Stickers * 
  • Elle's Studio Happy Birthday Journaling Tags *
  • A few small banners from leftover kits in my stash

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 Reveal: April Exclusive Kit + Live Laugh Love

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

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!

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

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

There are so many exciting extras that coordinate with the kit this month, including (from left to right): Sequins- Blue Green Mix, Today Sticker Labels, File Under Stamp, Sky Blue Puffy Alphabet Stickers, Teal Puffy Alphabet Stickers, Spring and Flowers Acrylic, Puffy Star Stickers, Vellum Sentiments, Acrylic Stars- Spring Mix, Happy Easter Acrylic, March Labels, Date Stickers- Blue and Green, Friends Acrylic, Easter Stickers, Grow and Bloom Wood Veneer

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!

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 add-ons this month include: Speech Bubble Stickers, Wood Veneer Stars, What Happened Stamp, XO Acrylic- White, XO Acrylic- Black, Fav Acrylic, So Happy Wood Veneer, Love with Arrow Acrylic, February Labels, Heart Circle Acrylics, Sweetheart Acrylic, Date Stickers

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.

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

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!

Jot Magazine Issue 16 Patterned Paper Gallery: Sticks & Adventures

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:

Scrapbooking in a Circle: Play Hard

I'm sharing a new layout at Shimelle.com today about designing a scrapbook layout in a circle with several of the lovely Shimelle collections! I'd love of you to check it out and watch the process video that I made while creating it.

A New Year at Elle's Studio, and a NEW Exclusive Kit!

We at Elle's Studio are so excited about a fresh new year. A new design team to bring you inspiration, as well as a new kit! 

This bright and cheerful kit is full of color to help you document the beginning of your year, including your goals and intentions for 2017!

Don't forget about the add-ons! From left to right, we have the Puffy Heart stickers, All My Heart stamp, Olivia alphabet stamp, True Love wood veneer, Be Mine acrylic heart, Love Mix sequins, Love Ya wood veneer circles, acrylic frosted hearts, Always acrylic heart, XO stickers, Brr! acrylic, and Valentine banner stickers.

To coordinate with the kit and help you get in the Valentine mood, the Love You journaling tags are perfect! 

Last, the True Love printables and January cut files will be in your digital library to help you document your memories. 

On my first layout, I pulled the pink, red and blues out of the January kit to create this 8-1/2" x 11" layout with a favorite photo of my daughter bundled up at Disneyworld. The fun stitched banner using circles cut from 12" x 12" paper, as well as tags from the kit, was inspired by a 3" x 4" tag in the kit that featured a colorful, circular banner, which you will see featured on my next layout!

I love a stamped title, and mixing the "you" from the All My Heart stamp with the Olivia alphabet stamp turned out perfectly! 

My second 8-1/2" x 11" layout documents another Disneyland memory, a moment with my daughter at a princess breakfast. It features the 3" x 4" tag from the January kit that inspired the layout above, and to match it, I added a stitched column of colorful cardstock hearts along the left side of the layout. My 3" x 4" photo and the three other tags sat perfectly on the Sunny Days woodgrain paper. 

I couldn't resist making little Mickey head figures on this layout using the new sequin mix! This is definitely one of my new favorite layouts to date. 

Be sure to pick up a January 2017 exclusive kit and start documenting 2017 today! 

Documenting to Heal: The Climb

A few months ago, we took a family trip to the Smoky Mountain National Park. My parents and brother drove down from Kentucky, and we drove up from Texas to spend five days together in a beautiful chalet overlooking Mount LeConte. A few weeks later, the beautiful house that we stayed in, and the forest surrounding it, burned in a devastating fire. 

Even though we don't own the house that burned, I loved it, and had a very hard time after hearing the news. So, after cleaning my house thoroughly, (because that's what I do when I'm upset) I decided to start scrapbooking the trip. Along with the creative process I enjoy, scrapbooking can be quite cathartic when it comes to dealing with loss.

I purchased the Studio Calico Lost River scrapbook kit and documenter kits because I knew they would be perfect for documenting this trip to the mountains, and wow, were they spot on. The colors and patterns will work perfectly with so many of my photos, and I know that I will kill these kits!

3" x 4" pocket page cards are perfect for using as embellishment, too, as I did here with the "love this place" card. I paired it with the lovely vellum circles from both the scrapbook and documenter kits.

My simple title was accented with another embellishment cluster below. I loved the rubber pennants in the scrapbook kit- they were my favorite embellishment from the kit offerings.

The journaling tag I chose includes all of the colors from the layout, as well as my photo, and on it I included my typed journaling, sliding it in to a kraft envelope which was tucked behind my photo. I wanted to add a bit of color and pattern to the envelope, so I carefully trimmed a 3" x 4" tag from the documenter kit and added it to the envelope flap. The closed envelope creates an arrow which leads your eye to the photo.

Thanks for stopping by. What hard times in your life have you worked through on a scrapbook page? I'd love to hear if this works for you too! 

Elle's Studio December Exclusive Kit Reveal

It's that time of the month again- the Elle's Studio December exclusive kit is live and perfect for adding to your holiday memory keeping projects! Whether you purchase a one-off kit, or start a new subscription so that you're ensured a new kit each month, you'll love what's new in the shop today!

The bright, fun colors of the December kit will allow you to use it for a variety of projects. This kit is jam packed with 4" x 6" and 3" x 4" tags, as well as a variety of bits and pieces to use as embellishment.

The add-ons this month will also give you more options to embellish your projects! You can choose from the Winter acrylic, Celebrate acrylic, Winter acrylic stars, Holly acrylic, Cheers acrylic, Happy New Year acrylic, Celebrate stamp, and December labels that coordinate with the colors in the kit.

The digital Celebrate printables and cut files are also perfect to add to your digital library.

In addition to the Date It stamp, the Malia lowercase alphabet stamp is also available in the shop! The uppercase Malia stamp has been a favorite of mine, and I know that I will get a lot of use out of this one, too! 

Supplies | December exclusive kit, Celebrate stamp, Joy journaling tags, acrylic snowflake, 'Tis the Season 12" x 12" paper collection, 'Tis the Season puffy stickers

My first project has a Christmas theme, and features a favorite photo of my daughter and my brother I used a lot of white space here, adding texture with a doily underneath my photo mat, created with the 'Tis the Season 12" x 12" paper collection. The "very merry details" tag from the December kit was my favorite this month, so I added that to the left side of my photo. I also used the Celebrate stamp to add "remember magic" to the small tag at the bottom of the journaling tag. To add that big pop of red, and create a title, I used the "jolly" tag from the Joy journaling tags, and finished off the layout with the lovely acrylic snowflake.

Supplies | December exclusive kit, Celebrate stamp, Date It stamp, Winter acrylic stars, 'Tis the Season 12" x 12" paper collection, 'Tis the Season acrylic, letter and number stickers- gray, letter and number stickers- red

My second layout is a review of the year, inspired by the "favorites of the year" 4" x 6" tag in the kit. I loved pairing it with the multicolor stripe 3" x 4" tag, and I pulled those colors throughout the layout, by using the strips from the 'Tis the Season 12" x 12" paper collection, the little tags from the kit at the top left corner, and the Winter acrylic stars. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and be sure to check out the Elle's Studio shop for these new releases, as well as a great "Celebrate the Season" sale: 25 products are available for $2 or less! 

Altenew Scrapbook Kit Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there! I am so excited to be participating in the Altenew Reflection scrapbook kit release blog hop today, and if this is your first visit to Brioche and Blessings, thanks for stopping by! I had so much fun opening and creating with this beautiful kit! 

The bright and vibrant colors in this kit will take you back to all those happy moments captured at home or abroad. From trendy watercolor painted papers, to beautiful cityscape postcards and a wide assortment of embellishments, this kit is perfect for creating gorgeous layouts, wall art, mixed media projects, and many more!

The kit contains: 

1. 48 sheets of 12”x12” patterned paper (two of each design)

2. One 8.5”x11” cardstock sticker sheet

3. Two 6”x12” alphabet puffy sticker sheets

4. 20 8.5”x3.5” watercolor cityscape postcards

5. One 2x3 photopolymer clear stamp set

6. 20 epoxy buttons with adhesive back

7. 34 cardstock and acetate die cuts

8. 12 origami wood veneer shapes

9. Two white resin decorative frames

10. One 8.5”x11” chipboard sticker sheet

11. One rubber roller stamp

The travel-themed elements of the kit had me pull out a couple of favorites from a family trip to Paris in 2014. I gravitated toward the beautiful green and blue watercolor designs, which worked perfectly with the beautiful, blue sky in my photos and accented with pops of bright pink.

There are SO MANY embellishments to choose from in this kit, but I was drawn to the the "let the adventures begin" wreath chipboard. It inspired me to add four circular elements to the right side of my photo mat.

With so many different elements in this kit, the bright colors and clean design, the Reflection kit is definitely one that should be a treat to yourself this Christmas! 

There are so many talented ladies who also have gorgeous projects to share using the Reflection scrapbook kit, so be sure to hop along all of their blogs: 

Altenew

Jessy Christopher

Stephanie Buice

Eunyoung Lee

Vincenza Gudor

Flora Monika Farkas

Raquel Bowman

Aimee Dow

Kim Stewart

Lilith Eeckels

Meghann Andrew < YOU ARE HERE > 

Ashley Horton

Evelyn Yusuf

Want to win your own Reflections scrapbook kit? To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to THREE lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew blog by Wednesday, December 14th at 11:59pm EST for a chance to win. The winners will be announced on the Altenew blog on Thursday, December 15th.

You can also leave a comment here by December 15th at 5pm EST to win a $30 gift certificate to the Altenew shop! Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to check out all of the lovely inspiration along the hop today! 

Talk to Me About Titles!

Adding a title to my layout is one of my favorite parts of the design process, however, I understand that it can be a source of frustration for some of us scrapbookers! I'm brainstorming something new and exciting over here, and I'd love to have some feedback from you, my lovely blog reader!

Talk to me about titles.

Answering the questions below in a comment is all you need to do to be entered into a drawing to win an Ali Edwards Click Story Kit! 

1. Do you always include a title on your layouts? If so, do you plan this alongside your photos/supplies, or is it typically an afterthought?
2. Do you find titling difficult? What do you find hard about adding a title to your page? The actual title itself, or choosing the products that make it up? 
3. Do you have a hard time coming up with the words of a title, typically, or do you find that it comes easily with the story you want to tell? 
4. Think of your favorite layout, and how this title just worked for your page. What makes a "good" title to you, both the words of the title, and design-wise?
5. What is you #1 favorite product for creating titles? (For example, a Silhouette Cameo, or Thickers alphas

Giveaway will remain open until Friday, November 18th at 9am CST, and is open to internationals!

Thanks so much for your feedback and I can't wait to read your answers!

Using Diagonal Lines with Shimelle Products!

Yesterday, I had a new layout featured on the Shimelle.com blog, and it's a favorite one of mine! 

I typically tend to shy away from bold paper, like this Ranger pattern in the Starshine collection, but when I realized I could use it to create emphasis on my photos, I was excited to take advantage of those bold diagonal lines.

All of my embellishments were placed along the diagonal, so that I didn't break up those lines. I also tried to color block the red embellishments to the red lines, and the blue embellishments to the blue lines, so that there was a sense of continuity.

My favorite part of the layout is the placement of this acetate arrow, which really draws attention to the vertical row of photos and houses my title. It was definitely one of those "happy accidents" that it fit perfectly on top of the photo of the Beefeater, the pointed to my journaling.

I was so excited about creating this layout that I created a process video: 

Be sure to check out all of the Shimelle products used in this layout. I love how the different collections work perfectly together! 

Thanks for stopping by & have a great weekend! 

Elle's Studio November Exclusive Kit Reveal!

Can you believe it's November, and the year is almost over? That means there's only two Elle's Studio exclusive kits left for 2016, and the November kit is spectacular! 

Document your November and get ready for December with the November 2016 exclusive kit, in which fall colors pair with Christmas classics. You'll also want to check out all of the awesome add-ons that coordinate with the kit this month: 

From top to bottom: Thanksgiving Acrylic, Love Wood Veneer, Merry Christmas Acrylic, Large Acrylic Stars, Good Cheer Stamp, Joy Journaling Tags, Acrylic Snowflake, Gingerbread Wood Veneer, Acrylic Christmas Trees, Stars and Hearts Frosted Acrylic, Christmas Wood Veneer Attachers, FaLaLa Acrylic, Bah Humbug Acrylic, Twinkle Acrylic, Deck the Halls Wood Veneers

My first project this month is a combination of an 8-1/2"  x 11" layout with an adjoining pocket page, and I combined this month's kit with the Sunny Days and the Autumn mini collection for an autumnal spread.

Supplies | November 2016 exclusive kit, Good Cheer stamp, Autumn wood veneer, Autumn journaling tags, Malia number stamp, Sunny Days 12" x 12" paper collection

My second project is a 12" x 12" layout with a Christmas theme, featuring a series of three fun photos of my little family.

Supplies | November 2016 exclusive kit, Stars and Hearts Frosted Acrylic, ’Tis the Season 12” x 12” paper collection, Family acrylic, Malia alphabet stamp.

In addition to the kit and add-ons this month, there are also some new 2017 products to plan your Project Life album for next year that you'll want to pick up in the shop.

From top to bottom: Monthly Wood Veneer Tabs, 2017 Large Black Acrylic, 2017 Large White Acrylic, 2017 Small Black Acrylic, 2017 Small White Acrylic, Date It Stamp, Right Now Journaling Tags, 2017 3" x 4" Calendars, Monthly Journaling Tags

Check out all of the new offerings in the shop this month, perfect for all of your end of year documenting! Happy creating! 

Elle's Studio October Exclusive Kit Reveal- With Subscriptions!

I am so excited to share the new October exclusive kit from Elle's Studio with you this month, not only because it is gorgeous, but also because this month is the first month that Elle is offering kit subscriptions with NO CANCELLATION FEE. How great is that? Anyone who subscribes today will  also receive a free acrylic gift, so check out all of the amazing new products in the shop! 

You will definitely want to start your subscription this month! Take a look at the October kit!

Those gorgeous colors and patterns definitely won me over! The add-ons, which include the Autumn wood veneer, Autumn wood veneer attachers, Family acrylic, Family Fun stamp, Autumn leaves acrylic mix and Autumn journaling tags, are perfectly designed to coordinate with your kit, and will inspire you to document your October memories!

And, get more "bang for your buck" by ordering the October cut files and Love My Tribe printables! 

My first layout turned out exactly as I had planned- crisp and clean, but still with an autumnal feel.

Supplies | October kit, October cut files, Family Fun stamp, , Autumn wood veneer, Autumn journaling tags, letter and number stickers- light gray, Jonah alphabet stamp

With just a few supplies, I created this layout about how much I yearn for fall each year! By backing the die-cut cardstock page with a stamped and misted piece of cardstock, I created a lot of texture on my background, and topped it with pieces from the exclusive kit and add-ons. 

My second layout has a much more playful feel.

Supplies | October kit, October cut files, Family Fun stamp, , Autumn wood veneer, Autumn journaling tags, letter and number stickers- teal , Malia alphabet stamp, 'Tis the Season bits and pieces

There were so many lovely smaller tags in the the kit this month, along with the digital cut files and acrylic pieces- I just couldn't stop layering! 

Have questions about the new subscription format? Check out the ES blog for any questions you may have. Grab your kit via subscription before they're gone- these lovelies are sure to sell out fast! 

Jot Magazine Issue 15: Everyday Magic

Hi there! Jot Magazine Issue 15 has been out for almost two weeks now, and if you haven't checked it out, you won't want to miss all of the inspiration in store for you there! Today I'd like to share a layout I created for the first gallery in this issue, the Sparkle gallery! 

“Everyday Magic” Supplies | Cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned paper: Studio Calico. Journaling cards: Project Life. Stamps: Elle’s Studio, Studio Calico. Dies: Elle’s Studio. Embellishments: Ali Edwards, Studio Calico, Evalicious, Studio Calico, Color Cast Designs, Pink Paislee, American Crafts. Ink: Stampin’ Up, Tsukineko.

This layout was inspired by a beautiful moment I shared at my daughter doing an ordinary thing: pushing the shopping cart (or trolley for my British friends) from the store to the car, and since the parking lot was empty that morning, racing as fast as we could down the aisles. I was lucky enough to have my phone in my hand at the time to capture the moment.

The beautiful star background cut file, created by Elle's Studio, was backed with silver POW! paper from American Crafts, cut from a sheet of white cardstock. To add a bit of color, I painted teal watercolor paint around where I would place my photo and journaling. I love the dreamy quality it gives my background.

Next, I started layering. I pulled the gorgeous blue patterned paper from the Wink Wink scrapbook kit from Studio Calico. It had that gorgeous watercolor paper feel that I was looking for. To offset that dark blue, I chose reddish-orange cards from the Project Life Everyday Edition core kit (one of my favorites!), and my color scheme was nailed down. 

Although this was not a color scheme that I've used before, I found it quite easy to find embellishments in my stash to match. My title was created with a mix of Pink Paislee glitter alphas, that were a long-ago exclusive from Studio Calico, and the "magic" acrylic word, from the Ali Edwards Magic Story Kit, one of my favorites. I also used a few pieces of chipboard from this kit that were perfect for this story, especially the "magical ordinary moments" circle.

This could possibly be one of my favorite layouts of the year. Simple and so my style- documenting a magical moment with my little. 

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Monday! 

Elle's Studio September Exclusive Kit Reveal!

Can you believe it is already September? I always find this month strange- summer is not quite over, but I'm yearning for fall, and the Elle's Studio exclusive kit this month has the best of both seasons! Take a look at this beautiful kit!

There are SO many embellishments that coordinate with the kit this month, including the vellum hearts, foodie wood veneer, Right Now stamp, Collecting Moments acrylic, Best Ever acrylic, Fall acrylic, Autumn acrylic, Awesome acrylic and Autumn stars.

Lastly, the Hello Autumn printables and September cut files are a must-buy! 

I was so excited about the herringbone pattern in the digital cut file this month, that I made it the focus of the design on my first layout.

Supplies | September exclusive kit, Right Now stamp, Foodie wood veneer, September cut files, Sunny Days 12" x 12" paper collection, Sunny Days 6" x 6" paper stack.

I absolutely love the simplicity of this layout. Although it was a bit time-consuming backing the cut file with tiny pieces of colorful paper, the outcome is so worth it to me! This is easily one of my favorite layouts of the year.

My second layout was created for my Disneyland album, which is always a work in progress!

Supplies | September exclusive kit, September cut files, Sunny Days 12" x 12" paper collection, Sunny Days puffy stickers, Everyday Labels puffy stickers- gray, Marie alphabet stamp, Autumn acrylic stars. 

I again used the September cut files to cut "documented" to place under my photo, which I then placed on top of the bold stripe on the "Adventures" pattern from the Sunny Days collection. Because I wasn't using orange in this album, I simply cut out the orange stripe and adhered the design back together on my background! 

The title was so much fun to create, and was stamped with the Marie alpha stamp in multiple colors. I then stitched over the letters, so that the title looked like a banner, and added some puffy and acrylic stars.

Watch out for another project from me coming next week, using the September kit and add-ons!

This month is very exciting, because Elle is doing a free shipping offer! Any orders $50+ shipping  to the U.S. should use code SHIPUSA and international orders of $75+ use code SHIPINT. Happy shopping, and happy creating!