The Studio || March Sketch Challenge

Good morning, everyone!  Because there were 5 Sundays in March, we got to do 3 challenges at The Studio this month - so exciting!!!  This week's challenge is a sketch challenge.  Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it:

I was really drawn to the smattering of circles, so that's what I focused on, even turning my photo into a circle.  It was a fun sketch to play with and the layout came together fairly quickly, which is always a plus!

 

Head on over to The Studio to see everyone else's take on the sketch and to play along.  This month's prize is a guest designer position!

 

Layout: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Basic Grey, Elle's Studio, Studio Calico; Alphas: October Afternoon; Enamel Dots/Stars: Studio Calico, My Mind's Eye, Twine & Ink; Wood Veneers: Studio Calico

Scraplift Saturdays || Using Up My Washi Stash

 

Good morning and happy weekend!!

 

Today's scraplift forced me to create one of my favorite layouts to date.  Here was the inspiration:

It was a fun layout that I created with my very first Studio Calico kit.

 

And here is the updated version, which, as I said, has become one of my favorites.  It only took me about 20 minutes to make, which was definitely an added bonus and I made a sort of dent in my washi stash:

This is also another layout I made for the current color class I'm taking at Studio Calico.  This layout focuses on complimentary colors (colors opposite each other on the color wheel).  I really adore the orange-turquoise color combo.

 

Layout 1: Not totally sure because I didn't document supplies back then...

 

Layout 2: Cardstock: Bazzill; Alphas: American Crafts, Basic Grey; Patterned Paper: Jillibean Soup; Washi Tape: Love My Tapes, Glitz, American Crafts, mt; Chipboard Stars, Diecut: Studio Calico; Enamel Dots/Chevrons: Studio Calico, Doodlebug Design; Paper Borders: Doodlebug Design

More Color Class Shares

Hello! 

 

I have 2 more layouts to share with you this morning.  Both were inspired by the fun Studio Calico color class that I am taking right now.

 

The first layout was made using square colors (these are 4 colors that are equally spaced on the color wheel).  I have always loved my primary colors, so I went with them and green: 

I dripped watercolors down the top of my paper to get the drippy look.  I'm also a fan of the tone-on-tone embellishments.  I feel like that sort of "cleaned" the layout up a bit.

 

The next layout was created using warm colors:

I had fun playing around with the embossing technique again.  I stamped over a mist mask with Versamark and then sprinkled my gold embossing powder on it and set it with a heat gun.  I also embossed the wooden title letters.  Question: Does anyone know an easy way to emboss wood veneers and keep them from blowing around everywhere when I turn the heat gun on?  It took me FOREVER to emboss these suckers!  I still need to create a cool colored layout for my "homework."

 

Thanks for popping in!

 

Layout 1: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Elle's Studio, Cosmo Cricket, Bo Bunny; Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye, Studio Calico; Diecut, Word Label, Chipboard Stars, Vellum Word, Cut File: Studio Calico; Alphas: Pink Paislee

 

Layout 2: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Chipboard Hears, Label, "Documented 2013: Label: Studio Calico; Wood Veneers: American Crafts, Studio Calico; Brad: American Crafts; Enamel Dots: Basic Grey; Washi Tape: Studio Calico, mt; Mist, Banner, Mask: Heidi Swapp; Embossing Power: Recollections

PL 2014 || Week 11

Good morning, all!  I just wanted to share my most recent PL week with you.  The week was awesome, I had lots of great pics, and I ended up creating a totally uninspired PL spread!  Oh well.  I've said it before, but you really can't be happy with every project you create.

 

I will say it wasn't Cocoa Daisy's fault I was uninspired.  I used their April Day in the Life kit, as well as their PL add-on kit, Blue Ridge.  These were great kits and included so many fun little elements.

 

Here is my spread:

 

I also have a rather unexciting insert that I created to document our day at the local St. Patrick's Day Festival...it's just photos with very little embellishment, so I will spare you for now.  I'm still working on the title card for it, so if that turns out well, I may share it in a later post.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Supplies: Page Protetor: Becky Higgins (Design A); Journaling Cards: Cocoa Daisy, Evalicious, Becky Higgins; Badge: Evalcious; Alphas: October Afternoon, Studio Calico, Jillibean Soup; Diecuts: Elle's Studio; Enamel Shapes: Doodlebug Design; Labels: Studio Calico; Washi Tape: October Afternoon; Patterned Paper: Cocoa Daisy

The Studio || 'M' is for March

Good morning!  There is a new challenge posted at The Studio today and this time it's all about using the letter 'M'.  M can be in your title or the subject matter of your layout/project.  There are no real rules for how you incorporate the letter.

 

For my project, I decided to scrap my adorable niece, Molly Grace. She's the cutest 'M' I know!  Here's my project:

 

I hope you head on over to The Studio to play along this morning and check out all the great inspiration from the other design team members!

 

Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Doily, Word Stickers: Studio Calico; Alphas: Studio Calico, October Afternoon; Badge,: Panda Eight; Puffy Sticker: Evalicious

Playing with Color Combos and Watercolors

Hi, everyone!  Happy, happy Friday!  I hope everyone had a good week and is ready for the weekend.  We have some St. Pat's festivities planned for tomorrow and I am so excited about them!

 

So...obviously I love using a ton of color in my scrap projects.  I love, LOVE color...so much so that sometimes I think I use a bit too much.  Looking back on some of my layouts, they can be quite busy at times because of all the crazy brightness I have going on.  When I saw that Lisa Truesdell was teaching a color class at Studio Calico, I immediately signed up.

 

In the class we have been learning how to select color combos and I have already gotten so much out of it.  I even created two projects for "practice".  The first one uses an analogous color scheme.  That means that the colors are next to each other on a color wheel (seriously, don't I sound all color-smart now?!).

The second one was created from an inspiration piece that we picked out ourselves.  We were supposed to create a kit from the piece we selected.  Here's my inspiration piece and kit:

confetti pic source

 

Here's my layout:

 

Also, you may have noticed that I played around with watercolors on these layouts.  I've never really used watercolors before and I HAVE NO IDEA WHY.  They were way too much fun.  Stephanie Bryan posted a video in the class that showed the technique of painting watercolors on wet paper and creating drips...I loved the effect...obviously.  I have a feeling this will become one of my go-to techniques.

 

Thanks for dropping by!

 

Layout 1: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Studio Calico, Cosmo Cricket; Chipboard Stars, Yellow Enamel Dots, Bling Stars, Wooden Letters, Die Cuts, Cut File, Mist, Vellum Label: Studio Calico; Banner: Heidi Swapp; Green Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye; Staples: Tim Holtz; Alphas: American Crafts; Paper Label: Kaitlin Sheaffer; Journaling Card: Becky Higgins

 

Layout 2: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Tag: American Crafts; Alphas: American Crafts, Basic Grey; Twine: Jillibean Soup; Chipboard Star, Doilies, Typed Words, Star Stickers: Studio Calico; Paper Label: Hello Forever for Studio Calico; Script Sticker: Heidi Swapp; Enamel Dot: Basic Grey

PL 2014 || Week 10

Wow!  Can you believe that we are in the double digit weeks now?  Where is the time going?!?!  I am not complaining, but now that we have some decent weather here, I think time can slow down a little bit... :o)

 

I wanted to share Week 10 of my Project Life with you.  This week I used Studio Calico's March kit.  In addition to their main kit, Office Hours, I also purchased a PL add-on, Report.  I am loving the blues and greens...it's all Spring-y!  Side note: do you know how hard it is to get add-on kits at SC now?  If I am not online right at noon on the 27th, I can't get a single thing in my cart!  And even when I get online at noon, I still am not usually able to snag anything I want...sort of frustrating...but then so much more exciting when I manage to get something great!

 

Anywho, here is my spread:

 

Like I said, I am LOVING that kelly green!  I'm also sort of proud of myself for successfully squeezing in another confetti pocket.

 

Have you done any PL/pocket pages lately?  Leave me a note and I'll drop by and see your work...I love seeing everyone's inspirational pocket pages!

 

Supplies: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design F); Journaling Cards: Studio Calico; Calendar Card: Hello Forever; Alphas: American Crafts, Studio Calico; Puffy Stickers: American Crafts; Green Star Sequins, Circle Sequins, Star Stickers, Die Cut, Enamel Dots, Cork Stickers, Labels: Studio Calico; Staples: Tim Holtz

Stitch Fix Review #3

My latest Stitch Fix box arrived a few days ago…always a fun experience!

For an in depth run-down of Stitch Fix, click on my first “review” here.  Here are the basics:
 

1.  Fill out a style profile.

2.  Schedule a fix!  This can be as frequent (or infrequent) as you would like.

3.  Pay $20 – this is the “styling fee.”  However, if you keep anything from your box, it is automatically applied to your purchase.

4.  Get the clothes and try them on in the comfort of your own home with stuff you already have.

5.  You have 3 days to mail everything you don’t want back to Stitch Fix in a pre-paid shipping envelope.  If you keep all 5 items from your fix, you get a 25% discount.
 

This time, I requested bright colors and fun patterns again.  Here is the first look at the box:

Definitely more colors and patterns this time around!

Pierson Lace Detailed Short Sleeve Shirt

Um….unfortunately, no.  The cut of the top was pretty cute and it was a short sleeve sweater, which I kind of liked.  I also really liked the mint color.  But the lace?  Not so much.  Definitely, definitely not my style.

Spectra Abstract Print Fit & Flare Dress

I really loved the pattern of this dress, although I did find the colors a bit hard to match.  Also, I love fit and flare dresses.  They look good on almost anyone.  However, I didn’t think this dress looked quite right on me and at $78, I didn’t want to buy something that I wasn’t in love with.
 

Iris Striped A Line Skirt

Yay!  I had pinned this from the Stitch Fix blog and I am so glad I did.  I love it.  I am a stripes kinda girl, so I think this is pretty cute.  I need to find a better shirt to wear with it, but I am totally sold on this piece!
 

Camillia Floral Print Sleeveless Blouse

When I saw this in the box, I thought it was awful.  When I put it on, I sort of ended up liking it.  In the end, I just thought the fit was a little weird and the pattern not at all my style.
 

Ritz Mixed Pattern Front Pocket Knit Shirt

Love the polka dot pattern.  Love the striped pattern.  Do not love them mixed together.  Plus, I looked super pregnant in this shirt when I turned to the side…which is not the look I am going for.
 

Final thoughts: So, another not-so-exciting box this time around.  But I am glad that my stylist tried to send more patterns and colors and I ended up with a skirt I love.  I’ve scheduled my next fix for next month and didn’t request anything, so we’ll see what happens!
 

 

If you are interested in Stitch Fix, just follow this link!

 

*I have no affiliation with Stitch Fix except that I am one of their customers.  I will not receive any compensation for this review.  However, the link provided is a referral link that will give me Stitch Fix credit if anyone decides to use it.*

Scraplift Saturdays || 8 March

Happy Saturday morning!  I just love the weekends! 

 

Today I am sharing a scraplift of a layout that I shared at the end of last year.  I love the design of this layout because it's really quick and easy to pull together but you can also add different elements to create a different feel.  Here is the original:

Here is the new take on it:

*And side note: doesn't my dear husband look waaaay better clean shaven than with a beard? ;-)*

 

Layout1: Journaling Cards, Badge, Mist, Stamp: Studio Calico; Washi Tape, Tabs, Flag Clip, Diecut Arrow: K & Company; Patterned Paper: Studio Calico, Simple Stories; Chipboard Arrow: Simple Stories; Transparent 'B': Basic Grey; Alphas: American Crafts

 

Layout 2: Patterned Paper: Studio Calico, Basic Grey; Stars, Grey Alphas, Transparent Letter: Basic Grey; Cork Alphas: American Crafts; Chipboard: Simple Stories; Mist, Stamp: Studio Calico; Staples: Tim Holtz

Gift Wrap Goodness: Layers

Good morning!  Today I am sharing my latest gift wrap project:

 

I tried a new technique on this one: embossing!  I've had the supplies to do it for a few months now, but hadn't really had the chance to sit down and do it.  I love the result!  First I embossed my plain black paper and then I added my tag and layers.  Once again, I am hoping that I will be able to reuse most of the tag at a later date.

 

Thank you for stopping by!  Tomorrow is Friday and what has felt like the world's longest work week will come to a close...yay!  :-)

 

Supplies: Paper: Recollections; Stamps: Studio Calico; Embossing Powder, Clothespin: Recollections; Doily: Bo Bunny; Alphas: Pink Paislee, Basic Grey; Twine: My Mind's Eye; Tag: American Crafts; Journaling Card, Badge, Label: Evalicious

PL Update || Weeks 8 & 9

Good morning, everyone!!

 

I am popping in super fast to share my latest two weeks of Project Life.  I got a week behind last week and I knew I needed to work my butt off to catch back up.  I LOVE this project, but it somehow becomes waaaaay less fun when you're playing catch up!

 

Week 8:

This one was made with a combination of my Cocoa Daisy and Studio Calico kits.  Both kits were so colorful that I thought my spread would end up super colorful, too.  I guess my creative spirit wanted to go in a different direction ;-)

 

Week 9:

I finally made a confetti pocket for this year!  I shockingly realized that I had yet to do a confetti pocket for 2014 and decided to rectify that situation immediately.  What was I thinking?!?

 

I also had a lot of fun playing and creating this week's title card:

 

Thanks for stopping in!

 

Supplies:

 

Week 8: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design A); Journaling Cards: Studio Calico, Evalicious, Washi Tpae, Wood Veneers, Word Stickers: Studio Calico; Puffy Stickers: Evalicious; Alphas: October Afternoon; Labels: Heidi Swapp, Kaitlin Sheaffer; Calendar Card, Chipboard: Hello Forever for Studio Calico' Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye

 

Week 9: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design F); Journaling Cards: Studio Calico, Becky Higgins; Scripted Word Stickers: Heidi Swapp; Alphas: Studio Calico, Basic Grey; Labels: Studio Calico, Heidi Swapp; Chipboard Shapes, Wood Veneers: Studio Calico, Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye; Puffy Hearts: Studio Calico, Lily Bee Designs; Washi Tape: Studio Calico, American Crafts, Tim Holts, Mt;Staples: Tim Holtz

The Studio Challenges || Scraplift Yourself

Seriously!  That's the challenge at The Studio this week!  So, it's right up my alley considering I've been challenging myself to do this for the last few months with my Scraplift Saturdays.  I don't think it's ever easy to scraplift yourself.  This is especially true if you're lifting a layout that you truly love.  There's a lot of pressure to create a layout equally good.

 

For this challenge, I dug waaaaay back in my scrap archives to 2010 and picked a layout that may still be my favorite ever.

 

And here is my new updated take.  There's still a rainbow and black and white photos.  I think the subject matter of this layout is way cuter than the first one, though! 

With the first layout I was able to clear out some of my ribbon stash.  With this new layout, I dug deep into my scrap bin and was able to use up some of my long ignored scraps.

 

Thanks for stopping in.  Please hop on over to The Studio to see everyone else's take on this challenge and join in the fun for your chance at the monthly prize!

 

Supplies: Unfortunately, the first layout was created at a time when I did not keep track of the products I used, so I ma unable to provide a product list for this one.

 

Layout2: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: American Crafts, Jillibean Soup, October Afternoon, Sassafras, Crate Paper, Cosmo Cricket, Echo Park, Bella Blvd, Me & My Big Ideas, Bo Bunny; Puffy Stickers: Studio Calico; Enamel Dots: Prima, Freckled Fawn, My Mind's Eye; Alphas: Pink Paislee