Scraptastic Club Sweet Child of Mine Kits: Love These Girls

When I received my Sweet Child of Mine kit and girl add-on from Scraptastic Club last month, I initially thought that I would have to pull out baby photos to make the colors and phrases work with the kit. However, this week, I challenged myself to use some photos that I already had printed and on hand, and I was excited at how versatile these kits were. They're not just for baby photos! 

Since I received the girl add-on, (a boy add-on is available too!) this photo of me with my friend, daughter and goddaughters was perfect to coordinate with the kit. The photograph was already printed in color, so a colorful layout was in order. The Maggie Holmes plus-sign paper in the girl add-on was my starting point for the page, and I based the other colors that I chose from it. 

The big "sugar and spice" pennant was actually a cut-apart 3" x 4" tag from the girl add-on, and there was enough room at the bottom to cut the triangle out and form a pennant. Not only is this a design element in itself, it also grounded the other smaller labels, tabs and pennants that I added next to it. 

To balance out the large embellishment grouping on the left side of my page, I decided to add another grouping to the bottom right corner of my photo. I couldn't resist pulling a few stickers from the Amy Tangerine Better Together sticker book, located in the March 2016 This Life Noted kit, just because I wanted to add a bit more yellow and green to the page. The green "1-5" sticker is from that book, as is the yellow notebook strip sticker. I also had to get a stamp on the page, so I chose to stamp "this moment" from the Drops of Jupiter stamp set onto a printable label. (If you subscribe to the kits, these digital files come free with your kit subscription!)

So I guess the moral of the blog post today is to not take something on face value! Be sure to look at your kit from different angles to get the most use out of it! Have a great day!

Off the Cuff Video Series: Little Sunshine

Hi there! I'm really excited to bring you video two of my "Off the Cuff" video series where I design an entire layout on the spot, and you get to walk through my decision making process, as well as my hesitation! This month, I'm working with Scraptastic Club's Sweet Child of Mine main kit, digital files and stamp to create a new favorite layout about my daughter's happy moment during story time at our local library.

The lovely, peach vellum bag that I included on the layout was actually part of the kit packaging, but I couldn't resist pairing it with the lovely teal patterned papers from Crate Paper's Little You collection, included in the main kit.

It could be that the colors in the kit were made for me, but I had such an easy time putting this layout together. The entire process took me about 30 minutes, but I've reduced that time a bit in this video, so put up your feet for a few minutes and grab a cuppa to see my complete process:

Thanks so much for joining me today. If you like my video and want to see more from me in the future, be sure to follow my YouTube feed for more in my Off the Cuff series next month! Have a great weekend!

Elle's Studio Travelogue Release!

I'm pretty excited that Elle's Studio is now releasing product in-between the exclusive kit reveals on the 10th of each month, and this month, the Travelogue release is sure to get you excited for road trips and high flying adventures!

This series includes journaling tags, labels, "go, see, do" acrylic, the "adventure" wood veneer tag and an awesome stamp set and matching tab die, which you can see in action here: 

I also created a fun layout recording a road trip I took with a friend in the fall. I was just waiting for the perfect product to scrap this photo, and the Travelogue items certainly made the cut! 

"Adventure" supplies | Travelogue journaling tags, Travelogue labels, "adventure" wood veneer, Travelogue stamp set, tab die, Little Moments 12" x 12" paper collection, Little Moments 6" x 6" paper stack, acrylic stars- spring mix.  

I had so much fun creating this layout! I rarely ever stamp on my photos, but the "here we go" stamp was perfect for this photo at the start of a road trip to New Orleans. I created the tab by stamping the shape in yellow, cutting it out with the tab die and stamping the tiny star 5 times at the top. On the "adventure" wood veneer, I simply backed it with a piece of yellow patterned paper from the Little Moments 6" x 6" paper stack.

The "live, travel" tag was cut down from a Travelogue journaling tags and punched on the side, to resemble a ticket edge. I used a bit that I cut off below my journaling to stamp "notes from this day," and placed it underneath my journaling. I framed it at the top with a Little Moments blank label, which I stamped "details please" from the Travelogue stamp set. A few Crate Paper travel-themed chipboard pieces coordinated perfectly with the Travelogue items to finish off my layout!

Be sure to stop by the Elle's Studio shop and check out the Travelogue release today, so that you can get your road trips and travels documented!  

Elle's Studio Highlight on Stamping: Picture Perfect

Today on the Elle's Studio blog, I'm sharing a new layout that focuses on stamping. If you know my style, you know that I use stamps on almost every layout, but on this layout, I decided to create my title and embellishment with stamps, and make stamped images the highlight of the design on my layout.

"Picture Perfect" Elle's Studio supplies | March exclusive kit, Noteworthy stamp, Little Moments 12” x 12” paper collection, Little Moments bits and pieces, Little Moments stamp, Jonah alphabet stamp, Label It stamp, The Story Of stamp, letter and number stickers- black.

After printing my photo at 4" x 4", backing it with white cardstock and the Bloom paper from the Little Moments collection, I placed in the horizontal center of the 8-1/2" x 11" paper. I then stamped "right now" from the The Story Of stamp, which has so many useful phrases for scrapbook layouts! The grey tab that said "this moment" from the March exclusive kit was perfect for my title, but I just needed to add "at" with the black letter and number stickers. 

The second half of my title was placed underneath my photo. I started with "you are" using the The Story Of stamp, and adding the label frame from the Label It stamp around it. I then stamped "absolutely" using the Jonah alphabet stamp, and to keep it centered on my layout, I have some techniques that I use often when stamping titles. You can check out my tricks for that over at the Elle's Studio blog! 

The adorable camera image was cut from a 3" x 4" tag in the March exclusive kit, and underneath, I added the phrase "picture perfect" from the Noteworthy stamp.  Once my title was in place, I stamped little flowers from the Little Moments stamp from the top to the bottom of my layout, creating an ethereal feel on my layout. 

To finish off my layout, I tucked a tag from the Little Moments bit and pieces pack, which held my journaling, behind my photo and stamped "favorite photo" in a similar colored ink from the Noteworthy stamp. This really is one of my favorite photos of my daughter, and now, this is one of my favorite layouts of all time. 

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out the Elle's Studio blog for daily inspiration from the design team and monthly guests, and don't be afraid to stamp on your layouts! 

Scraptastic Club Sunday Morning Kits: The Sweetest Friends

I just received my Scraptastic Club March package in the mail, so I'm busy playing with the Sweet Child o' Mine kits! Until I have something to share from the new kits, I'm here to show you another layout created with the February Sunday Morning kits: The Sweetest Friends.

Supplies | Sunday Morning kit, Sunday Morning add-on, Sunday Morning stamp set, February 2016 This Life Noted stamp set.

I absolutely loved the pennants in the Sunday Morning stamp set, and wanted to base my layout design around them! Instead of hanging them across the page horizontally, I decided to hang them vertically like flags, and use other pieces from the kit to add in some different elements. 

Since I had such a bold black polka-dot paper on the right side, I wanted to echo that black on the left side of the page and stamped the outside of my pennants with black ink. Other pieces from the We R Memory Keepers Crush accent stickers and Crate Paper Hello Love chipboard stickers filled in the spaces between the pennants, and I stamped heart outlines from the February 2016 This Life Noted stamp set directly onto the Crate Paper woodgrain print from the main kit to crate my own tiny embellishments.

A 3" x 4" card from the cut-apart sheet in the add-on started my title, and I added the word "friends" from the Amy Tangerine Better Together Thickers just below it, adding a little strip of colored paper from a manufacturer's strip under the word to help it to stand out against my photo. I printed my journaling directly onto the background patterned paper, placing it just below my title. 

I love this sweet layout about my daughter and her bestie, and it came together so easily with the Sunday Morning kits! Thanks for stopping by! 

Elle's Studio March Reveal!

Hello! Today is the 10th, which means that Elle's Studio has a brand new set of supplies perfect for your memory-keeping in the shop! Let's start out with the March exclusive kit!

What a rainbow of beautiful colors, right? To coordinate with the kit, Elle is also offering the gorgeous acrylic stars, Noteworthy stamp, Easter acrylic, Spring acrylic, and the Easter and Flower Acrylic Mix.

And don't forget about the useful digital files! The March cut files and Lucky Clovers background cut file and Happy Easter can be sized and customized just for your project, and the Spring Break and Smile printables will bulk out your kit to help you document even more memories.

In addition to the new monthly exclusives, the Little Moments collection is also now available in the Elle's Studio shop, and I've been having so much fun creating with it! 

My first project is a layout that records my daughter's love for building blocks. The square stamp with the star inside from the Noteworthy stamp gave me the inspiration to create this layout, and I knew I would have to create my own building block towers with it.

"Block Star" ES supplies | March exclusive kit, Little Moments 12" x 12" paper collection, Smile printables, Jonah alphabet stamp set, "The Story Of" stamp, acrylic stars. Other supplies: Studio Calico silver puffy stars

My second project is a card, which I haven't created for a while! I loved the Lucky Clovers background cut file, and paired it with the "I'm so lucky to have you" tag from the kit to create a multi-layered card for someone special.

"Lucky card" ES supplies | March exclusive kit, Lucky Clovers background cut file, Little Moments Bits & Pieces, Little Moments 6" x 6" paper stack, Little Moments 12" x 12" paper collection. Other supplies: green & gold sequins, green & white striped ribbon, Studio Calico gold puffy heart, metallic gold paint pen (to outline some of the cutout clover.)

I just had to add a bit of glitter on this tag! 

Be sure to check out the design team gallery for all of the new, beautiful project inspiration, and watch the Elle's Studio blog for exciting special guests this month! 

Scraptastic Club February Sunday Morning Kits: So Much Love

I'm still working with the February Sunday Morning kit and add-on from Scraptastic Club, and I just received the notification that my March kits have shipped, so I'd better get on and share these with you, huh?

I struggled to figure out what to do with the Crate Paper photo frames paper in the kit. These lovely little squares are so great to look at, but when used them as a background on a layout, they completely took away from everything else. So, I decided to take a deep breath & cut each one individually! 

After cutting the squares out, I decided to arrange them in a shape, and since this month's kits are all about love, I decided to create a large heart, and sewed a heart shape around the outside.

I didn't want to throw too much embellishment on the heart, but I added a small cluster to the upper right side. I also added tiny stamped hearts from the February This Life Noted stamp set. 

This is one of those layouts where I don't have much to say in my journaling, but I wanted to get this favorite photo, taken by Donya Luana, printed and on a layout. I don't feel that you have to write a novel on every page.

I'll be sharing the rest of my Sunday Morning kit and add-on layouts here over the next few days. In the meantime, be sure to check out Scraptastic's March kits in the shop! 

Technique Tuesday: Creating a Stamped and Watercolored Floral Background

As promised, today on my YouTube feed, I'm sharing how I created this soft, stamped and watercolored background on my Jot Magazine March mood board layout, which you can find on yesterday's blog post below!

This technique is so easy and fun- all you need is a solid shaped stamp, some water-based ink pads, an inexpensive watercolor set and an inexpensive brush, as well as water, of course! There is no need to be an artist to create this lovely, custom background, because you are starting with the shapes you stamp first. 

Please leave a comment or a thumbs-up on my YouTube feed if you liked this Technique Tuesday post and be sure to follow me for more scrapbooking and papercrafting videos! 

Jot Magazine March Mood Board

Chase those Monday blues away with the beautiful March mood board from Jot Magazine! 

I can't believe how gorgeous this board is! It reminds me of a warm, spring day, and I began my creative process by choosing a photo that gave me the same feel.

Supplies | Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Avalanche. Patterned paper: Scraptastic Kit Club, Crate Paper (woodgrain). Embellishment: Crate Paper ("wild spirit" chipboard, flower die-cuts & tag), American Crafts (kraft Thickers), Pink Paislee (arrow), Studio Calico (journaling spot), Stampin' Up! (twine), enamel dots. Other: Stampin' Up ink, Elle's Studio "you are" stamp.

I knew I wanted to use a watercolor technique to match the board, and decided to do a partial stamped, partial watercolor border along the left side of the layout. I was surprised how much I loved this process, as I typically don't do things so "loose."

The "wild spirit" chipboard piece was absolutely perfect for what I wanted to document on this layout- my daughter's fearless attitude toward life. I layered it on top of my photos and topped it with floral die-cuts and the Pink Paislee arrow. With the floral border on the left side of the page, I really didn't want to go far with embellishment.

I'm pretty excited about the way this layout came out- it is exactly how I envisioned it, and to me, it really captures the feel of the mood board. Watch out on my YouTube feed this week for a video on how I created my floral stamped/watercolored border, and be sure to upload your own project to the mood board page for a chance to win!

Products used in this project:

Jot Magazine Issue 13: Greatest Adventure

Jot Magazine Issue 13 is live, and it may just be the most beautiful issue yet! 

There are so many beautiful projects to inspire you in this issue, and today I'd like to share my favorite project that I submitted, from the Mothers gallery. I knew I wanted to journal about my own journey as a mother, and my friend, Donya Luana Photography, gave me the perfect photo in which to document.

"Greatest Adventure" supplies | Paper: Bazzill Basics avalanche cardstock, American Crafts (pink polka dot), Crate Paper (green grid), Carta Bella (green floral, yellow hearts). Embellishment: Carta Bella ("the best" & heart stickers), American Crafts (large floral sticker, small, and black foam alphabets), Crate Paper (metal clip, kraft alphabet & stitching rub-ons), Elle's Studio (yellow tag). Other: Studio Calico Stamp ("everyday").

I'm not completely sure how this color scheme came together, but it is definitely not one I have ever used before. I started with older papers from Carta Bella that I had in my stash, and wanted to use. Given that my photo was black and white, I could have started with any product! The yellow, geometric hearts were a must-use on this layout, and it felt entirely wrong to cut the paper horizontally, so I opted to cut the top edges of the heart out, framing the bottom of the layout. 

Once my papers were selected, I went through my stash to find pieces of embellishment that fit the color scheme. I wanted the layout to be quite bold, so I chose a contrasting black as my neutral. I love that this layout feels simple and graphic, yet feminine and detailed at the same time. That's a perfect combination in my mind! 

Be sure to check out Jot Magazine Issue 13 in its entirety to be amazed by the gorgeous inspiration provided by the Jot Girls, as well as contributing designers! 

Principle Power Preview Process Video

Hi there! If you need a quick tip to create emphasis on your layouts, and have 5 minutes to spare with a cup of coffee this weekend, check out my new process video and preview of my class, Principle Power, at Big Picture Classes.

This class, which includes 5 lessons, 14 layouts and 5 videos, will walk you through the principles of design, and teach you how to use these principles to create well-designed, intentional layouts that get your stories told!

You can start your free month-long trial to Big Picture Classes by clicking through to the Principle Power classroom, creating a new member account and using the promo code LOVE.

Have a great weekend & I hope to see you in the classroom!

Off the Cuff Video Series: Be You

Have you ever had a photo that just seemed like it was "made" for a certain kit or scrapbooking product? That's how I felt putting together this layout with the Just a Girl kits from Scraptastic Club. 

This layout was so fun to put together! Want to know why I did what I did? Check out my YouTube feed for the process video in my new series: Off the Cuff. In these videos, which I hope to do once a month, I will show you my process from start to finish, on a layout that I have not designed beforehand. I just have a photo and a kit, and I'm starting without a plan in mind! 

So, if you have about 30 minutes to spare, grab a cuppa and join me for Off the Cuff: Be You. 

Elle's Studio February Kit Reveal!

Welcome! Today is the day for the February Elle's Studio exclusive kit reveal, and I'm excited to show you my projects! But first, let's take a look at the exclusive kit and add-ons:

There is such a great range of colors and themes in this kit to document any story. Plus, there is huge amount of content here with 3" x 4" cards, smaller tags, and even tags perfect for embellishment. 

The Everyday stamp and The Best wood veneers add-ons this month just knocked my socks off! I love the circle shapes and the clean font. 

The amazing digital cut file and Always printables are so versatile, and perfect for using over and over again on your projects! This month, I started with the "always" frame cut file to get one of my favorite photos of my daughter in my album.

"Always Follow Your Heart" Elle's Studio supplies | February exclusive kit, February digital cut file, The Best wood veneers, Cienna paper collection pack, Thankful Bits and Pieces, Thankful stickers, Hugs and Kisses printables, letter and number stickers- yellow. Other supplies: Heidi Swapp cardstock die-cuts and chipboard, enamel dots, Martha Stewart acrylic paint. Photo credit: Donya Luana Photography.

I absolutely love how the "always" frame worked with the "follow your heart" die-cut to create my title. This layout was really created as an excuse to print the photo, so there isn't much journaling required. I only added a row of embellishment along the right side, which included both Elle's Studio product, as well as some Heidi Swapp chipboard and die-cuts from my stash to bring in the plum color in my daughter's sweater.

"You Love Whole Foods" Elle's Studio supplies | February exclusive kit, The Best wood veneers, Love You stamp, Everyday stamp, letter and number stickers- grey, letter and number stickers- red, Thankful paper collection pack. Other supplies: American Crafts gold Thicker word & large enamel dot, My Mind's Eye brad and gold heart sticker, Studio Calico puffy dot and enamel dots, Stampin' Up! ink, Martha Stewart acrylic paint.

This layout definitely feels a bit more "me" than my previous project, although I love them both! This layout records a story about my daughter's love for our weekly trips to Whole Foods, and I also stamped a lot on this layout, something I love to do! I love the versatility of the mid-month release Love You stamp, which I used to stamp "seen & noted" along the bottom of my layout- almost like adding a strip of patterned paper! The Everyday stamp can also be used to create patterns with the broken circle, or to make an embellishment, like I did here. 

This month Elle also has a free shipping special! Orders of $50 or more ship for free with coupon code LOVEYOU and this includes international orders! 

Be sure to check out the design team gallery for new inspiration on how to use your February exclusive kit! Happy creating! 

Jot Magazine February Mood Board: "You & Me Until Forever"

It's a new month, which means that Jot Magazine has a new, beautiful mood board to inspire you! 

Now, if you're not a purple kind of gal, don't be scared. I have to admit, that I was when I first saw this board, because I thought that I didn't have any of the purple tones in my stash. However, I was surprised to find quite a few items that bordered on purple that worked perfectly. 

"You & Me Until Forever" supplies | Cardstock: Bazzill Basics (avalanche). Patterned Paper: Scraptastic Club, Crate Paper. Embellishment: Simple Stories (chipboard heart, chipboard frame, brad, heart die-cut, enamel dots), Heidi Swapp (transparent words, flower die-cut), Amy Tangerine for American Crafts (die-cut tag), Elle's Studio (stamps).

To create the layout, I used quite a few items from the Scraptastic Club Wednesday Night kit (sold out), which featured a lot of the Simple Stories "So Fancy" collection, which matched the mood board colors perfectly. I kept the layout simple, using pretty, feminine layers and just a bit of stamping. At this point, keeping things simple means that they are getting done, and I'm okay with that!

I love this tag from the Amy Tangerine Finder's Keepers collection, and feel like it was just waiting for this photo and this layout! 

My title, which I placed at the bottom of my layout, was made up of the "you and me" globe from the Simple Stories chipboard, and the Heidi Swapp transparent script, which I used because of the script saying in the mood board. I put them on top of two pieces of Crate Paper, the floral of which I am down to my last scraps.

Be sure to check out the other Jot Girl's creations and link up your own design, based on the mood board, to the Jot Magazine February mood board page to be entered to win a prize from Jot! 

Jot Magazine Issue 12: "I Should've Been..."

As I prep my project for Issue 13 of Jot Magazine, today I'm here to share a layout with you that was featured in the storytelling gallery of Jot Magazine issue 12. Our theme was, "when I grow up," and the phrase made me think of myself as a child, and what I didn't want to be when I grew up: A pianist. The photo used on the layout is me at age 7, taken by my piano teacher.

I don't have many regrets in life, but one of them is that I didn't continue taking piano through high school and into college. From the age of seven to fourteen, I went to weekly lessons, practicing for hours in between. The piano always came quite easy for me, and I wish I would have taken advantage of my natural ability. 

The yellow and white stripes on my background paper reminded me of the white keys on the piano, so I adhered black sharp and flat keys along the right side of the layout.

I couldn't quite pass up these chipboard alphas or fun patterned paper from the Crate Paper Wonder collection. I just love those big, skinny alphas! I paired them with the white script alpha from October Afternoon, so that I had a lot of contrast between the two fonts. Because my layout was 8-1/2" x 11", it was easy for me to print my journaling in the bottom left corner of my layout just under my title, once I knew where all of the other elements on the page would be placed.

A few child-like cardstock and chipboard embellishments from Crate Paper and Simple Stories were all I needed to finish off this page, which I wanted to focus more around the story, and how I now feel about giving up on something that I worked so hard on for seven years! 

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out all of Issue 12 today! It is full of inspiration! 

Scraptastic Club 'All of You' Kit Layout: 3 Happy Girls

I'm just finishing up with the "All of You" kits from Scraptastic Club before I break open my new January kits, and I have a new favorite layout to share with you today! 

I broke down and used one of my favorite papers in the "All of You" add-on, the yellow Maggie Holmes background paper. I wanted this layout to look different than all of the others that I created with these kits, so I decided to keep the color pink to a minimum, and emphasize yellow, teal and navy. 

All of this color was perfect for this black and white photo booth photo strip taken while a good friend was visiting from the U.K. To create my title, I hand-cut the "3" from the Maggie Holmes number paper in the "All of You" main kit, and paired it with the Fancy Pants Happy Place script word puffy stickers, which were a shop add-on for December, as well as the Fancy Pants Happy Place alphas & numbers die-cuts in the "All of You" add-on.

The Pink Paislee Cedar Lane arrow was a perfect embellishment to add in my title and added a small touch of pink.

I love printing out the kit digital files every month to add to my stash, ready to add to a project. The "no.3" and "love it here" tags were printed from the "All of You" digital files, and the exclusive flair badge finished off the corner.

That finishes it off with my "All of You" kits. To see the other layouts I created with the kit, check out my gallery link at the top of the page & keep a look out here for my projects using the new January 2015 "Just a Girl" kits! 

Elle's Studio January Exclusive Kit Reveal

Happy Sunday! It's the 10th, which means the Elle's Studio January kit and add-ons, along with the new design team gallery, are now live!

This kit, which will help you document a story, or show someone how much you care, is full of colorful tags, as well as versatile neutrals that you can use with any other product!

My favorite tags in the kit this month are definitely the black, white and grey tags, and especially the doughnut and coffee 4" x 6" tag seen here.

The add-on stamp, acrylic and vellum hearts coordinate perfectly with the kit to help you embellish your project. Hands down, my favorite new product this month has to be the 'You're the Sweetest' stamp. On my first project, I used the stamp and the kit to create an 8-1/2" x 11" layout documenting a late night treat with a friend in New Orleans, with hidden journaling underneath the coffee and doughnuts tag, which I cut to 4" x 4" and hinged with a piece of washi tape.

Supplies: January exclusive kit, You're the Sweetest stamp, Thankful collection paper pack, Love You More collection paper pack

To create those fun coffee rings, I made a little pool of black watercolor on a paper plate and dipped the bottom of my coffee mug in the liquid, then stamped it on the background cardstock.

Supplies: January exclusive kit, You're the Sweetest stamp, vellum hearts add-on, Thankful bits and pieces, Cienna collection paper pack

My second project of four easy Valentine's Day cards is a perfect example of the versatility of this kit! I used only tags from the kit, 1 small piece of patterned paper, 1 piece of watercolor paper, 'You're the Sweetest' stamp the vellum hearts add-on, and a few enamel dots. I only made 4 cards in one sitting, but with this kit, I could have made so many more! 

I especially loved the more masculine tags in the kit to create a Valentine perfect for that special guy in your life.

Also in the new products category this month are the 'This is Love' printables, January cut files, and 'All My Heart' 12" x 12" cut file, so be sure to check them out too! 

Remember that the kit is available today for the launch price of $9.99, and after midnight PST, the price increases to $11.99. The kit and add-ons are limited, so once they've sold out, they are gone for good, so be sure to pick up your kit today! 

100 Documented Memories of 2015

This is what 100 documented memories look like, all created in 2015. Since I started scrapbooking in 2008, my process has evolved in major ways, and I feel like this year I can say that I'm finding my 'niche.' This year, my layouts have been much more simple, and have focused more on telling a story than in years past. One thing that hasn't changed is my love of color, pattern, and white backgrounds. Here are a few of my absolute favorites from this year's layouts:

"As Long As" feature in Jot Magazine Issue 9 | This layout tops my list mainly because of the photo and the stamped title. I had the image of this layout in my head, and I executed it exactly as I had hoped.

"Collect Moments" from Jot Magazine July mood board | This photo of my husband and my daughter just gets me. Pair it with coordinating supplies and it's an instant favorite layout.

"Love Built Our Happy Home" created for Chickaniddy Crafts | This is one of those layouts that features a photo of the three of us, a rare occurrence since I'm usually behind the camera. I love how happy it makes me, especially with a grey, green and orange color scheme.

"Muddy Puddles" created for Elle's Studio | The story takes center stage in this layout, and this action shot of my daughter jumping in a puddle just makes me think of her at the age of two. 

"Blanket" created for Scraptastic Club | This layout is easily my favorite of the year. The photos and the story, along with another stamped title, solidify this decision for me.

"Tom + Chee" created for Elle's Studio | This layout came together so quickly for me, using my favorite kit from Elle's Studio for the entire year. The process & the fun I had creating this layout make it a favorite. 

"The Twos" created for Scraptastic Club | I've been experimenting a bit with paints this year, and I loved the process of painting the background for each of these little pie-chart cut files. The photo of my daughter is just classic, too.

"Genius" created for Scraptastic Club | Over the course of the year, I've gradually become an 8-1/2" x 11" scrapbooker. There is something about the ratios that just make me happy with this size as opposed to 12" x 12". I love this layout, not only because of the memory it documents, but also because of the energetic color scheme and the custom stamped stars that I used as embellishment.

"Hello Beautiful" created for Elle's Studio | There aren't many words that I can use to describe how much I love this one, mainly because of the photo, taken on my daughter's second birthday. I used the Elle's Studio Cienna collection, my favorite from ES for the year.

If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading this blog and supporting me in 2015! I can't wait to share what is happening for me in 2016, including a new class at Big Picture Classes, debuting next month! Stay tuned for details! 

Have a happy and blessed 2016! 

Scraptastic Club 'All of You' Kits Layout: Fro-Yo Time

Hey there! The end of the year is near, and I'm creating my final pages of 2015, although, we've made so many memories this year that I could document them through 2016! Today I'm here to share another layout using the Scraptastic Club December 2015 'All of You' main kit + the add-on. 

How fun are these kits, right? I LOVE this photo of my daughter eating her favorite frozen treat in her Halloween costume, and it was just waiting for some fun product to match it with. 

I used the transparent overlay from the Maggie Holmes Shine collection over the watercolor Studio Calico paper, which made it super easy to print my journaling directly on the background paper before adhering the polka-dot overlay.

My initial idea for this layout included the numbers cut from a piece of the Maggie Holmes Shine paper included in the main kit. I love the color and playfulness they add to the layout.

In addition to the main and add-on kits, I also printed the 'All of You' print and cut digital page and used the 'hooray' tab. The 'hers' 3" x 4" card came from the December This Life Noted kit. I also had to use the awesome exclusive word puffy stickers to add 'time' to my title.

So that's another favorite memory from 2015 in the books! I'm working on knocking out a few more layouts using the 'All of You' kits before we ring in 2016 and start a whole new year of memories! Thanks for stopping by! Check back tomorrow for a look at all of the layouts I have created this year, and a re-cap of a few of my favorites! 

Scraptastic Club 'All of You' Kit Layout: 3 Happy Friends

Help there! I am trying to get back into the swing of things after a long break from scrapbooking to visit Disneyland, then my parents house for Christmas! Whenever I take a break, I feel a bit rusty pushing paper around for the first time, but the 'All of You' main kit from Scraptastic Club helped me get right back into my groove.

Here's the layout I created. Although the kit seems to include a lot of pink, I created a layout without a touch of it to coordinate with the colors in my photo.

I've had this photo of my daughter's three favorite infant toy sitting around for quite some time, just waiting for the perfect supplies. Putting them up in the attic for storage was hard for me- it meant that I no longer had a baby and had a little girl. Before I packed them away with the other infant supplies, I snapped a photo of them on our breakfast table. These were the toys that were always on the diaper bag, the ones that she always reached for and played with while teething, while riding in the car, etc.

To create this layout, I used the 'All of You' main kit and the word puffy stickers, an add-on item for December. I loved adding them underneath my title. 

When you subscribe to the club, you get a member exclusive every month, and this month it was a fantastic pie shape stencil. I used my inks and foam daubers to add these shapes along the left side of my layout, and one by my title. I love the playful nature it adds to the page. 

I'm a big fan of making things work, so when I was looking for a folder tab to put at the top of my photo, I noticed this exclusive rectangular tag in the kit. It was exactly the color and sentiment that I needed, so I just trimmed it to the tab shape with some scissors. It was the perfect addition to my page.

I love that I've documented these toys that mean so much to me, and the 'All of You' kit was just perfect for doing that. Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to stop back before the new year to check out my favorite layouts from 2016!