On Hiatus...

Hey, everyone!  Last week I mentioned that I had been very busy recently. I recently got an awesome job opportunity to go abroad for about 7 months, so we packed up the apartment, put everything in storage...and off I went.  I'm very excited about this experience; the only downside is that I don't think I'll have much time to be crafty, which means my blog will not see much action the rest of this year.  However, I'll still be checking in on all my favorite bloggers and crafty friends and if you decide to keep following me, I should resurface around the end of December/beginning of January.

Thanks for everything...and happy kraftin'!  :o)

K Squared

Hey, everyone!  I made a layout a few weeks ago that I have yet to share here.  To say that I've been busy recently is a bit of an understatement...but more about that in a later post...Back to my layout...I stuck very close to a recent Studio Calico sketch when creating:

The photo was taken at one of my best friend's bachelorette parties a few weeks ago.  Her name is Kari, hence the "K Squared."

I hope everyone is enjoying their week...thanks for stopping by!

Cardstock: Bazzill; Tag: American Crafts; Alphas: October Afternoon; Buttons: Pebbles; Arrows, Wooden Alphas, Tag, Vellum "Hello": Studio Calico; Enamel Dots, Transparent Flag: Basic Grey; Flag Label: Jillibean Soup

A Quick Layout Share

Good morning, everyone!  I'd like to pop in quickly and share a quick layout that I made.  I am currently taking a Studio Calico class called "Pop Off the Page 2."  It's taught by Jen Jockish and it's all about how to layer and add dimension to your layouts....something I definitely need help with.

The first week's challenge was to scrap lift a layout by one of the class contributors.  I chose to scrap lift a layout by Marcy Penner.  Here is the end result:

Definitely a bit out of my comfort zone and usual style, but I'm happy to keep learning all these fun techniques!

Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Studio Calico, Basic Grey, Lily Bee Designs, Fancy Pants, American Crafts; Envelopes: Fancy Pants; Wooden Shapes: Sodalicious; Journaling Card: My Mind's Eye; Alphas, Washi Tape, Mist: Studio Calico; Badge: Hello Forever by Marcy Penner; Star, Library Card: Basic Grey

PL Update!

Hey, everyone!!  I have a Project Life update for you.  Here are my weeks 15 & 16.  A few confetti pockets and lots of random ephemera:

Thanks for stopping in.  I know this wasn't a very enlightening post...I will try to get better!  :o)

Supplies: Week 15: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design A); Alphas: October Afternoon, Prima; Jounrlaing Cards: Studio Calico, Ormolu; Wooden Shapes, Wooden Clips, Labels: Studio Calico; Transparent Shapes: Basic Grey; "Love" clip: K & Company; Transparency Paper: Hambly (MISS THEM!); Washi Tape: American Crafts

Week 16: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design A); Journaling Cards, Sequins, Wooden Shapes: Studio Calico; Labels: Simple Stories, Studio Calico; Alphas: Basic Grey, October Afternoon, Pebbles, Prima, Jillibean Soup; Washi Tape: American Crafts, Tim Holtz; Heart Sticker: Heidi Swapp

Currently Craving: Nautical

I recently purchased some fun nautical bangles from Etsy and then got into a whole "nautical" mood after that.  Now, I really want to go on a boat...

1. Bangles  2. Navy & White Dress  3.  Sandals  4. Red & White Dress  5. Cord Bracelets  6. Clock  7.  Headboard  8.  Red, White & Blue Dress  9. Wedges

The Studio || Masks & Mists!

Good morning, everyone!

I hope that you are all having a nice weekend.

There is a new challenge up at The Studio this morning: use your stencils & masks on a layout.  So I used one mask and many mists:

I love the colorful end result! The mask is from Studio Calico and the mists are from a variety of places: Heidi Swapp (purple & turquoise), Studio Calico (yellow) and Tattered Angels (all other colors).

I hope you can play along with us...head on over to The Studio to see the fabulous creations from the rest of the design team!!

Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill; Mists: Heidi Swapp, Studio Calico, Tattered Angels; Mask, Tag: Studio Calico; Journaling spot: Chic Tags; Envelope: Pebbles; Alphas: American Crafts; Butterflies: making Memories; Borders: Doodlebug Designs

Lucky

Eric and I began dating back in 2005.

Almost 7 years later, we got married (yes, it took us a while!).

And today we've been married for a year!  Time really does fly when you're having fun.  I'm lucky I married my best friend.  He's goofy (see wedding picture), he's sweet, he's caring, he spoils me rotten.  There's no one I'd rather spend my life with. 

Wedding photo: Kathy Cobb Photography

Punky Scraps || A Jolt of Yellow

Hey, everyone!  The newest challenge at Punky Scraps went live on Wednesday.  It was a sketch challenge with a twist: use lots of yellow and feathers/something Springy on your layout.  I used a WHOLE LOT of yellow:

Love the sunny end result.  Doesn't the color yellow just make you happy?  It has that effect on me.

Please head on over to Punky Scraps to see what the other ladies created and to take part in the challenge.

Layout: Transparency: Hambly; Cardstock: Bazzill; Alphas, Label Sticker: Echo Park; Mist, Mast, Wood Word, Wood Feathers: Studio Calico; Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye; Felt Flower: Queen & Company

PL Update

Hey, everyone!!  I am popping in real quickly to share 2 weeks worth of Project Life.  Here is my week 12:

And my week 13:

I'm currently working on week 14, so I'm pretty much right on track and I'm still loving this project.  I've already looked back on my year a few times and am so glad to have this album documenting everything we've done so far.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Supplies: Week 12: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design F); Journaling Cards: Studio Calico, Simple Stories; Alphas: Echo Park, American Crafts, October Afternoon, Basic Grey; Label Stickers: Basic Grey, Simple Stories; Paper Labels: Studio Calico; Paper Playing Card: Sassafras; Paper File Folder, Tab, Wooden Car, Arrow: Studio Calico; Envelope: Pebbles; Washi Tape: mt

Week 13: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design F); Journaling Cards: Studio Calico, Simple Stories; Transparent Shapes, Label Stickers: Basic Grey; Alphas: American Crafts, Echo Park, Basic Grey; Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye, Basic Grey; Paper Label, Wood Veneer Card, Vellum Arrow: Studio Calico; Washi Tape: Glitz

The Studio || Color Challenge

Happy Sunday morning, everyone!!

There is a new challenge up at The Studio today...it's a color challenge.  The palette is a pretty combo of pink, green and yellow.  I don't think that I would normally use only these colors, but I really liked using them together in the end.  Here's what I came up with:

As you can see, I kept it super simple this week.  I made this layout in about 15 minutes. Gotta love it when a project comes together quickly like that.

Please stop by The Studio and check out the other layouts by all the fab ladies over there and play along for your chance to win a sweet prize!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I also just registered my blog with BlogLovin, since Google Reader is going away soon...hopefully it works well!

Supplies:  Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye, Echo Park; Banner, Twine: My Mind's Eye; Tag: Paper Source; Tab: October Afternoon; Frame: Heidi Swapp; Felt Flowers: Prima, Queen & Company; Bling: Prima; Wooden word: Studio Calico

Feeling Green?

I was when I made this Project Life spread.  On March 16th, there was a St. Patrick's Day festival in my local area.  I took a lot of pictures at the event, so I decided to do a whole 12 x 12 spread that focused just on the day...and since it was all about St. Patty's, I had to keep it green :o)

To see my whole week 11 spread click here.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a happy Friday tomorrow!

Supplies: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design F); Journaling Cards: Recollections, Studio Calico; Patterned Paper: October Afternoon, American Crafts; Alphas: American Crafts, October Afternoon, Queen & Company; Wooden Arrow Word: Freckled Fawn; Black Paper Borders: Doodlebug Designs; Washi Tape: October Afternoon; Label Stickers: Simple Stories; Paper Label, Wooden Letters: Studio Calico; Enamel Dots: Basic Grey; Staples: Tim Holtz

Tackling Some Challenges

Good morning, everyone.  I have two layouts that I'd like to share with you today.  They were both done for challenges over at Studio Calico.

This first layout was made for a scraplift challenge.  We were supposed to scraplift this amazing layout.  Here's my take:

For the second challenge, we were supposed to use a mask:

For the background I used a cool technique that was shown in a video by Corrie Jones on the Evalicious blog.

Thanks for stopping by...happy hump day!

Supplies:  Layout 1: Cardstock: Bazzill; PL card, Tag, Mist: Studio Calico; Day Card, "Not This" Tag: Evalicious; Doilies: Maya Road; Patterned Paper, Clothespin: American Crafts; Washi Tape: Freckled Fawn; "Remember" Circle: October Afternoon; Staples: Tim Holtz

Layout 2: Cardstock: Bazzill; Mist, Mask: Studio Calico; Alphas: American Crafts; Word Sticker: Heidi Swapp; Tags, Badges: Evalicious

The Studio || March Sketch

Good Sunday morning, everyone....and Happy St Patrick's Day!  May your day be full of lots of green...

The Studio has a new sketch challenge up today...and I love the sketch.  I always love Valerie's sketches, though...Here it is:

And here is my layout:

Even though our Catalina trip was a few years ago, I still have some pictures to scrap.  This sketch just seemed perfect for my photos.

Hope you can play along with us this month.  Head on over to The Studio to see the other fabulous layouts that are featured!

Layout: Cardstock, Green Borders: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: American Crafts, ILS, Studio Calico; Washi Tape, Alpha Stickers: American Crafts; Travel Tickets: KaiserCraft; Wooden Shapes, Geotag Sticker, Mist: Studio Calico; Twine: We R Memory Keepers; Staples: Tim Holtz

Some Random Shares

Hey, everyone! I just wanted to pop in quickly and share a few different things that I've been working on recently.  The first is a layout that I made based on a Studio Calico sketch that I have been saving for a while.  Unfortunately, I can't find the sketch on the site, so I can't link it back.

 

And, I have a PL spread to share.  My week 10:

And here's a close-up of the title card:

Layout: Cardstock, Lime Green Borders: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Alphas, Stars, Clothespins: American Crafts; Frame, Grid Journaling Card, Mist: Studio Calico; Diecuts: October Afternoon; Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye; Badge: Marcy Penner

PL Spread: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design A); Journaling Cards, Printable Layouts, Wooden Arrows, Wooden Letters, Wooden Heart: Studio Calico; Patterned Paper: Lawn Fawn, American Crafts; Wood Bubble: Freckled Fawn; Alphas: American Crafts, Lily Bee Designs, Studio Calico, Basic Grey; "Noted" Tab: Evalicious; Yellow Labels, Yellow Star: Twine & Ink; Enamel Dots: Basic Grey, My Mind's Eye; Staples: Tim Holtz; Sticker: Basic Grey

Punky Scraps is Ready for Spring!

They are...because that's what their current challenge is all about!  This month's inspiration photo is totally Spring-y and fun:

And here is how it inspired me:

I stuck with the Spring theme and the fun, bright colors.  I even threw a few flowers in there!  Please head on over to Punky Scraps to see what the other awesome ladies did and to play along for a chance to win this month's prize!

Supplies: Cardstock, Green Border: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Alphas, Wooden Flower Button: American Crafts; Poloroid Frame, Rub-on: Heidi Swapp; "Live It Up" Card: Recollections; Paper Clip: K & Company; Mist, Wooden Hearts, Pink Tab: Studio Calico; Staples: Tim Holtz

Project Life || Week 9

Good morning, everyone!

I have a quick PL spread to share with you today:

My favorite part of this layout is the Week 9 Title Block.  I actually scraplifted this from Leenah Loh's Studio Calico Neverland Gallery.  Her PL spreads are so great and inspirational!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies: Journaling Cards: Evalicious (This Week), Studio Calico (Hello, Days of the Week), Recollections (5Ws); Patterned Paper: Crate Paper, American Crafts, Studio Calico; Printable Labels, Wooden Arrows, Pink Paper Tab: Studio Calico; Alphas: Basic Grey, American Crafts, Sassafras Lass; Washi Tape: October Afternoon; Label Stickers: Twine & Ink (yellow), Simple Stories (pink, grey); Crazy Rub-on: Heidi Swapp; Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye; Staples: Tim Holtz; Circle Border: Doodlebug Designs

The Studio | March Recipe Challenge

Good morning, everyone!  Where is the year going?  It's March already!!  However, a new month means new challenges at The Studio.  Today's challenge is a recipe challenge that was created by yours truly.  I picked a fun, easy recipe that contained products that I felt certain almost everyone has in their stash:

*Kraft cardstock

*Mist or paint

*At least one tag

*At least 2 different types of alphas

I love the results from the design team!  Everyone on the team has such a fun, unique style, so you get so many different, cool layouts.  I actually created a layout that strayed a bit from my usual style:

Like I said, it's a bit unusual for me...and I hated it at first, but it's growing on me and I think I actually sort of like it now...

Please pop on over to The Studio to play along!

Supplies: Cardstock, Journaling Card, Tags: Recollections; Patterned Paper, Mistable Stars, Turquoise Alphas, Arrow Sticker, "Fun" Sticker, Mists: Heidi Swapp; Gold Alphas: American Crafts; Twine: We R Memory Keepers

2 Weeks Worth of Project Life!

So...I may have gotten slightly behind on Project Life...but only by a week!  I am now all caught up again.  The strangest thing about doing this project?  I can always tell you what week of the year it is.

In my Week 7 spread, I had to play around with sequins again.  I love making the little confetti pockets.  I also played around with REALLY messy stitching on top of two Chinese fortunes:

Left side:

Right side:

In my Week 8 spread, I added another little confetti pocket.  I love the tiny calendars from Studio Calico, so I want to try to use one every month, if I can:

Left side:

 Right side:

Thanks for hanging in for this rather photo-heavy post.  Hope you all have a wonderful week!!

Week 7: Left side: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design G), Patterned Paper, Journaling Cards, Printable Tags, Wood Veneer Hearts/Arrows: Studio Calico; Alphas: Basic Grey, American Crafts, Lily Bee Designs; Washi Tape: Little Yellow Bicycle; Chevron Envelope: American Crafts; Wooden Word Bubble: Freckled Fawn; Label Sticker: Simple Stories; "This Makes Me Smile" Tag: BananaFish Studio; "Delight" Sticker: Heidi Swapp; Staples: Tim Holtz

Right Side: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design H); Grid Journaling Card, Patterned Paper: Studio Calico; Alphas: October Afternoon, Lily Bee Designs; Word Sticker: Heidi Swapp; Star Sticker: Twine & Ink; "My Ideal Day" Journaling Card: Recollections; Staples: Tim Holtz

Week 8: Left Side: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design H); Journaling Cards, Wood Veneers, Circle Label: Studio Calico; Alphas: American Crafts, Lily Bee Designs; "So Very Happy" Label: BananaFish Studio; Staples: Time Holtz; Star Stickers: Twine & Ink

Right Side: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design F); Journaling Cards (with the exception of the orange "Good" one and the pink "date" one), Wood Veneers, Labels: Studio Calico; Alphas: American Crafts, Basic Grey, Lily Bee Designs, October Afternoon; "Smashing" Clip: K & Company; Orange Journaling Card, Pink "date" Card: Recollections; Word Stickers: Heidi Swapp; Label Sticker: Simple Stories; Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye; Staples: Tim Holtz

Scrapping for fun!

Hello, everyone!  If you're in the U.S. I hope you had a nice President's Day.  I never complain about a day off :o)

With my extra day off I finally got to do some scrapping for fun.  Work has been so busy lately that I've really only had time to do my layouts for my design teams and my Project Life spreads.  Before I created this layout, E and I went on a Michael's shopping spree (he encourages me to buy every scrappy product in the world!).  Did you know Michael's carries Heidi Swapp products now?  I had no idea, but I am now all stocked up :o)  Here is what I created:

I'm glad you were able to stop by...hopefully I'll be back soon with a PL share!!

Layout: Cardstock, Chipboard Frame, Kraft tags, Journaling Card: Recollections; Alphas, Chipboard Hearts, Banner, Word Stickers, Mist, Rub-ons: Heidi Swapp; Twine: We R Memory Keepers

The Studio || Patterned Paper-less Challenge

Hey, everyone!!  There is a new challenge posted this morning at The Studio.  We challenge all of you to create a layout without using patterned paper...and to add in washi tape.

I have been having Silhouette problems lately (just can't get my cut settings right even when I follow the settings that the program tells me to use!).  Instead of whining about it (which I am super good at...just ask my husband!), I decided to use my Silhouette "issues" to my advantage. I made a border for my layout and knew that my Silhouette probably wouldn't cut all the way through the paper. I was right! So, I used a few different colors of mist to color around the edges of the page. The mist showed up darker where the cuts had been made and ended up creating a really cool effect:

You should also go check out what the other ladies created.  There are some really cool ideas for washi tape posted over there!

Thanks for stopping in!

Layout: Cardstock: Bazzill; Cutting Machine: Silhouette; Mists: Tattered Angels, Studio Calico; Alphas: American Crafts; Wood Shapes: Freckled Fawn (arrows), Studio Calico (hearts); Mustache Clip: K & Company; Paper Tab: Bananafish Studios; Washi Tape: Target; Staples: Tim Holtz