Happy Mail Monday || Shaker Post Cards

Hey, everyone!  Let me begin this post by saying that I apologize for the quality of the photos of my featured project.  I tried to edit them, but they still don't look good...and I've already mailed them off, so there's no going back...oh well!

Anyways...last week, on a whim, I randomly signed up for this project.  It sounded like so much fun to me and I've never done anything like it before, so I though why not?!

I thought fr a while about what to make and finally settled on one of my favorite things: confetti pockets...in this case, confetti post cards.  I had a lot of fun.  I used some fun sequin mixes from SpiegelMom Scraps combined with some clear cuts from Bella Blvd.  I did some really messy (but fun, at least to me) stitching around the pockets to seal everything in.

Here's the finished products (like i said, awful photography):

This one is my favorite:

I will definitely do this again...it was easy and fun!

Here are the sequin mixes that I used from the SpiegelMom Scraps shop:

-Fairytale Sequin Mix

-Sunny Rose Sequin Mix

As always, if you see anything in the shop that you are interested in purchasing, use code KAT10 for a 10% off discount...and be sure to join us this weekend on Facebook for some fun NSD challenges and your chance to win some seriously AWESOME prizes!!!

Thanks for stopping in!

Transparencies: Bella Blvd; Sequins: SpiegelMom Scraps; Patterned Paper: Target; Stamps: Jenny Bowlin Studios, Studio Calico; Mist: Heidi Swapp

The Studio || Inspired by a Song

Good morning, everyone!!  There is a new challenge up at The Studio today. It's challenging you to be inspired by a song.  

I chose the song "Happy" by Pharrell.  These pictures of E & I aren't perfect - the lighting is awful and the quality is sub-par (I blame the iPhone, but it's probably an operator error!), but I do love them.  They are silly and goofy and show how happy we are.

My finished layout is a little odd - not my normal style, but I kind of like it.  And I like the fact that I used up a bit of m alpha stash - but let's be honest, I didn't actually make a noticeable dent since I have more alphas than I can ever use in a lifetime!

I hope you can play along with us at The Studio!!

Cardstock, Paper Border: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Die Cuts, Chipboard, Rub On Sequins: Heidi Swapp; Alphas: October Afternoon, Bella Blvd, Basic Grey, Studio Calico, American Crafts

Using "Scraps" || Clique Kits

Happy, happy Friday!!!  I do love me some Fridays!  The May kit was revealed at Clique Kits yesterday and it is FABULOUS - full of the beautiful Rise & Shine collection by Amy Tangerine.

I am up on the blog today sharing a layout that I made with the kit.  I say it's made with "scraps", but that's not really true.  It's actually the first layout I made with the kit...but maybe you can see that it's a good concept to use your scraps with??

Here it is:

A closer look:

Isn't she a cute kid??

Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Alphas, Stickers: American Crafts; Doily: Maya Road, Mist: Studio Calico

Clique Kits April Pep Rally

Hey, everyone!  It's pep rally time again for Clique Kits!!!  This month's kit was so much fun - chock full of yummy Pinkfresh Studio goodies - definitely a very fun kit.

The theme of this month's rally is celebrations.  Clique Kits turned one this month and that's definitely something to celebrate.  My celebration features my niece finding out that she's going to have a little brother.  My sister-in-law and I baked a cake so when she cut into it she'd find out if she was having a sister or brother.  Blue = boy....and she's pretty excited!

I also used this fun sketch designed by Becky Fleck from PageMaps:

This page didn't turn out quite how I wanted it to.  It's much too busy and doesn't flow correctly.  But sometimes you just have those days where the creative juices aren't flowing quite right :)

Here is the whole line up for today:

Clique Kits 
Erica 
Lacey  
Nicole
Danielle
Kim 
Sarah
Cassandra C.
Charity 
Carolina 
Sophie
Sandy 
Kat (That's me!!)
Mariah

Hop along for a chance to win some fun stuff!!

Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Stickers, Alphas, Die cuts, Rub ons: Pinkfresh Studio; Mist: Heidi Swapp

Gift Wrap Goodness || Pink & Orange

When Eric and I got married 3 years ago, our wedding colors were pink and orange.  Every year I try to mimic the wedding colors by wrapping his anniversary gift in pink and orange.  He usually gives me pink and orange flowers, so it’s a mutual thing J

This year I turned to my SpiegelMom Scraps supplies to wrap my gift.  Here’s what I came up with:

I wrapped the gift in the pretty pink ribbon first and then made a cluster of embellishments, including a shipping tag, doily and some wood veneers.  I even painted the wooden people pink and orange in an effort to be a bit clever!

Supplies from the store include:

-Light Pink & Cream Checked Ribbon

-Normandy Lace Doily

-Studio Calico Wood Veneer People

-Large Shipping Tag

-Studio Calico Heart & Arrows Wood Veneer

I love that not only are the products from the store great for paper crafting, but they also work perfectly for creating pretty packages!  Do you use your scrap supplies to wrap gifts?

Paper Heart: Paper Source; Wood Veneers: Studio Calico; Clothespin: American Crafts; Doily, Ribbon, Tag, Sequins: Spiegelmom Scraps; Alpha, Transparency: Bella Blvd

Bella Blvd

Hey, everyone!!  I wanted to pop in today to share that I am begin introduced on the Bella Blvd blog today along with fellow design team member, Corri Garza!  I am still over-the-moon excited about this great opportunity.  I also wanted to share the layouts that I submitted for my application:

 

  

Thanks for popping in!  I hope you'll stop over to the Bella Blvd blog and say, "hi!"

The Studio || Sketch Challenge (Using SpiegelMom Scraps Products)

Good morning, everyone!!  There is a new challenge posted at The Studio this morning - and it's a sketch challenge...yaaaaaaaaay!  (I obviously love those!).

Here is the sketch:

And here is my layout:

A few cool things about this layout - I used a patterned paper background - that happens, like....NEVER!  It's a big step if I use something other than white cardstock.  I know it's silly, but I'm so proud of myself...haha.

The other cool thing about this layout is that you can get most of the embellies on this layout from the SpiegelMom Scraps store.  Here are the links to the products I used:

-Cork Chevrons

-Black & White Skinny Chevrons Washi

-Normandy Lace Paper Doilies

-Large Shipping Tags

-Studio Calico Hearts & Arrows Wood Veneer

-Starlight Sequin Mix

If you see anything that you want to buy from the store, used code KAT10 and you'll save 10%!

I hope you can play along with us at The Studio!

Patterned Paper: Amy Tangerine for American Crafts, Studio Calico; Alphas: Pink Paislee; Wood Veneer: Studio Calico; Sequins, Tag, Doilies, Washi Tape, Paperclip: SpiegelMom Scraps

Clique Kits || April Challenge

Good morning, everyone!!  The Clique Kits' April challenge is posted up on their blog this morning. This month's prize: a Me-ology pack from Fancy Pants!  I adore that collection - it's so bright and colorful and fun.

The rules for the challenge remain the same as always:

• You may combine your challenge entry with other challenges
• You may enter our challenge up to 3 times
• Link up your projects on the CK post by April 30, 11:55 pm CST
• You are not required to use a Clique Kit to link up
• You are not required to use Fancy Pants Designs products to link up but doing so does give you an extra entry
• Create any type of project
• Link directly to your challenge project entry post

Easy peasy, right?  For this month I created a Project Life spread using the April kit.  All those Pinkfresh goodies are too fun to resist!

Left Side:

Right side:

Thanks for stopping in!  I hope you can play along with the challenge this  month...and if you see any stuff from the store that you want to buy, make sure you use code KAT10 for your 10% discount!!

Page Protectors: Becky Higgins (Designs A & F); Journaling Cards, Alphas, Enamel Hearts, Patterned Paper, Stickers, Die Cuts: Pinkfresh Studio; Wood Veneers: Pink Fresh Studio, Studio Calico; Staples: Tim Holtz

Project Read || March Wrap-Up

Hey, everyone!  I'm still going strong on my Project Read, although this month was a close one - I managed to squeeze in two books last week to eeeeek out my three for the month.  Here's what I read this month:

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – So…I love Gillian Flynn books, but I will admit they are not for everyone.  They are dark and they are graphic.  And I’m not usually a dark girl, but I just really love her books for some reason.  Dark Places was no exception.  Dark Places is the story of Libby Day.  Libby was seven years old when her mother and two sisters were brutally murdered.  She managed to escape and later testified that it was her brother, Ben, who murdered them.  As an adult, she meets a group of people who are obsessed with the case of her family’s murder…and they don’t think Ben did it.  Soon they have Libby questioning everything about the case and she becomes desperate to find out what really happened the day her family was killed.  This story is told from the perspective of present-day Libby, 1980s Ben, and 1980s Patty Day (Libby’s mom).  If you love dark thrillers, I highly recommend this book!

The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell – How does one unknown author create a bestseller?  How did “Sesame Street” become so successful?  How did hush puppy shoes become so popular?  Gladwell answers all these questions and more in The Tipping Point.  This book talks about the factors that create a “social epidemic” – those little things that happen that make something ordinary tip into something extraordinary.  It’s a fascinating read filled with multiple case studies that will leave you thinking about ways to create your own epidemic to better the world.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell – This book was recommended to me last month by Stephanie Ho and I am so glad that I took her recommendation to heart.  After reading the other two books this month, I was looking for something light-hearted, fun and most importantly feel-good.  This book certainly hit the mark.  Lincoln is the internet security officer for a newspaper, which basically means he reads people’s emails while working the night shift.  If someone uses a word that is suspicious, the email gets flagged, Lincoln reads it and then sends a warning.  However, when the system flags an email between Beth & Jennifer, he has no desire to send them a warning; he finds their emails to be entertaining and funny.  As the emails progress he finds himself actually falling for Beth, without even knowing what she looks like.  This is such a cute, cute story and highly recommended.  In fact, it was so cute and fun that I finished it in just two days!!

As always, I am open to suggestions - please let me know: what should I read this year??

The Studio || Pinterest Challenge

Good morning, everyone!  Sorry I've been MIA for a bit.  After my work trip, E & I went to Florida for a mini vacay...but I'm back now and frantically trying to catch up on all my scrappy projects!!

This morning there is a new challenge at The Studio.  It's all about using this image as our inspiration:

The thing I really love about this photo is the bunch of flowers.  It made me want to use one of my favorite floral papers...a fun print from Bella Blvd.  Here's my take:

I hope you are able to swing by The Studio and play along with us this month!!

Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Alphas, Stickers: Bella Blvd; Enamel Dots: Basic Grey; Doily: The Curtsey Boutique; Mist: Studio Calico

Clique Kits || Happy Everything

Hey, everyone!  Have you seen the newest kit from Clique Kits?  It is chock full of one of my favorite collections from this most recent CHA - Pinkfresh Studio!  And since CK is celebrating it's one year anniversary, there are even more embellishments and fun things included!  

I was able to play a little bit before I went away for work and ended up creating two layouts:

Seriously, aren't these colors and patterns so happy and fun?  I can't wait to play some more!!

As always, if you see something from the CK store that you want, use code KAT10 to get 10% off your purchase!!

Layout 1: Cardstock: Bazzill; Pineapple/Today cards: Clique Kits; Patterned Paper Embellishments: Pinkfresh Studio

Layout 2: Cardstock: Bazzill; Everything else: Pinkfresh Studio

Clique Kits || March Pep Rally

Good morning, everyone!!  Welcome to the March Clique Kits pep rally!!  I absolutely loved the kit this month...it was so much fun to work with.  I'm excited to share my last layout with you today!

I managed to squeeze in another wedding layout.  Eventually, I will get them all scrapped...even if it takes me another 100 years!

Next up on the hop is the lovely Kim!  Here is the rest of the line up for you:

Clique Kits 

Erica 

Lacey  

Tyra  

Danielle 

Nicole 

Charity 

Cassandra 

Kat (that's me!!)

Kim 

Mariah 

Carolina 

Sarah 

Marcia  

Sandy 

Hop along and join the inspirational journey!!

Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: We R Memory Keepers; Alphas: Pink Paislee; Enamel Dots: The Eyelet Outlet; Phrase Stickers: Cosmo Cricket; Sequins: Clique Kits

Bella Blvd DT

Hey, everyone!  I've been out of town with work for the last week or so, but I did want to pop in and share some really exciting news...I am beyond excited to be a member of Bella Blvd's 2015 Creative Team!!!

I am honored to be working with these other designers this year...a lot of them are my scrappy idols!

Becki Adams

Julia Akinina

Leanne Allinson

Kat Benjamin 

Stephanie Buice 

Jennifer Chapin 

Jen Chesnick

Kristine Davidson 

Lisa Dickinson 

Corri Garza

Christin Grønnslett 

Heather Leopard 

Nichol Magouirk 

Amélie Mordret 

Christine Ousley 

Laurie Schmidlin 

Laura Vegas

The Studio || Old Stash Challenge

Good morning, everyone!  There is a new challenge up at The Studio today and it's a fun one - if you've been scrapping for awhile, you probably have a giant stash.  I'm definitely a paper hoarder and I have papers from years ago.  The challenge today - use up some of that old stash!

I used one of my favorite collections from one of my favorite old companies - the "Count Me In" collection from Sassafras.  I was so sad when they went out of business.  

I did think the cute number papers were perfect for a layout about putt-putt with big niece...

So, go ahead!  Dig into your stash, use up some of those old supplies (it makes room for new ones!) and play along with us at The Studio!!

Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Alphas, Stickers: Sassafras; Mist: Heidi Swapp; Enamel Dots: My Mind's Eye

Clique Kits || 2 More Layouts

Y'all, brace yourselves!  I have not one, but TWO, layouts to share today that aren't on a white background...granted, they are on kraft backgrounds, which is still fairly neutral, but I'm pretty proud of myself!

The first one is up on the Clique Kits' blog today.  I modified one of the awesome March cut files to create a background of sorts:

The second one was on the Clique Kits' blog a few days ago.  E says the "O" in "Hello" isn't very visible, but even then, that word probably still accurately describes bath time with the little niece...ha! For this one, I was talking about going monochromatic (mint) and coloring a lot of the black and white papers in the kit to your desired color.

This was an awesome kit to work with - surprisingly one of my favorites.  When I first received the kit, I had no idea what I would do because it's not my usual style, but I really love all the projects I was able to create with it.  That's the beauty of being on the Clique Kits team - they totally push me outside of my comfort zone!

Thanks for popping in.

Layout 1: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: We R Memory Keepers; Alphas: Pink Paislee; Printables, Sequins: Clique Kits; Enamel Dots: The Eyelet Outlet; Phrase Stickers: Cosmo Cricket

Layout 2: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: We R Memory Keepers; Alphas: Pink Paislee; Mist: Heidi Swapp, Studio Calico; Printables, Sequins: Clique Kits; Wooden Heart: We Blow Kisses; Mask: Heidi Swapp; Phrase Stickers: Cosmo Cricket

PL 2015 || Weeks 6 & 7

Hey, everyone!  I am out of town for work for the next week, but I do have some posts scheduled to fill in my blog until I get back.  Today I thought I would share some of my recent Project Life spreads.

For week 6, I used some fun goodies from the Spiegelmom Scraps store:

The week somehow took on a green and  yellow theme and I played around with my gelatos a bit...I really should experiment with them a bit more.

From the store I used the following items:

-Studio Calico Hearts & Arrows Wood Veneers

-Studio Calico Printshop Wood Veneers

-Studio Calico People Wood Veneers

-Moonshine Delight Sequins

-Sunny Days Sequins

-Skinny Black & White Chevron Washi

Week 7 was created with a whole assortment of items that I've had lying around for awhile.  Since I'm not subscribing to any PL kits anymore, I am taking advantage of all the PL supplies I already own...I'm still not even coming close to making a dent in my stash!!

I played around with my gelatos again on this spread.

Left side:

I think my favorite pocket is the one with the clothing tags in it:

 How's your 2015 PL album going?

Week 6: Page Protector: Becky Higgins (Design F); Journaling Cards: Becky Higgins; Alphas: Studio Calico, American Crafts, Simple Stories; Wood Veneers: Studio Calico; Sequins, Washi Tape: Spiegelmom Scraps; Stickers: Studio Calico, Heidi Swapp, Jillibean Soup; Paper Label: Curtsey Boutique; Staples: Tim Holtz; Gelatos: Faber Castell

Week 7: Page Protectors: Becky Higgins (Design F); Journaling Cards: Becky Higgins, Jillibean Soup, Studio Calico, Cocoa Daisy; Alphas: Basic Grey, Studio Calico, American Crafts, Teresa Collins; Wood Veneers, Chipboard Shapes: American Crafts; Gelatos: Faber Castell; Stickers: Heidi Swapp, MAMBI; Staples: Tim Holtz; Sequins: Clique Kits; Mini Paper Bag: Whisker Graphics

Clique Kits' March Challenge

Good morning, everyone!!!  There is a new monthly challenge up on the Clique Kits blog today!  The sponsor for this month's challenge is the Sweet Stamp Shop!  As always, the rules remain the same: you can create ANYTHING, using ANYTHING...so easy!

There is an optional sketch this month designed by yours truly: 

And here is my layout...is it obvious that I made my sketch after I made my layout?  Haha. :o)

I am still loving the March Kit so much.  The We R Memory Keepers papers are so pretty and fun - I love all the great, unique patterns.

I hope you can play along with us this month!!  And just a little reminder - if you see any fun stuff from the Clique Kits store that you want, use code KAT10 for 10% of your purchase.

Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Transparency: We R Memory Keepers; Phrase Stickers: Cosmo Cricket; Alphas: Pink Paislee; Doilies, Sequins, Badge, Printables: Clique Kits

Highlighting the Green Chevron Washi || Spiegelmom Scraps

Hey, everyone!  I have a new layout up on the Spiegelmom Scraps blog today.  This layout focuses all on the fun green washi tape from the store:

This page came together very quickly for me.  I just measured off the top 5 inches of my cardstock and covered it in the washi tape.  I alternated the direction of the chevrons, which ended up creating an optical illusion of sorts (seriously, stare at it for a while…it’s a bit trippy!)  That was a happy accident!  Once I was done with that, I added simple embellishments, a few paint drips and then I was done.  This layout came together in about 20 minutes!

I used the following items from the store:

-Green Chevron Washi Tape

-Gold Doilies

-Normandy Lace Doilies

-Large Shipping Tags

-Chic Tags Moments Wood Veneers

-Studio Calico Hearts & Arrows Wood Veneers

-Die Cut Cork Chevrons

-Studio Calico People Wood Veneers

Stop by the store and check out all the fun products!  Use code KAT10 for 10% off your purchase!!

Cardstock: Bazzill; Washi, Tags, Doilies: Spiegelmom Scraps; Wood Veneers: Studio Calico, Chic Tags; Labels: Heidi Swapp; Mist: Studio Calico

The Studio || Use all 8 challenge

Good morning, everyone!  Happy March!  I know what you're thinking...3 posts in 3 days?  Who is this lady?  I assure you it's me; I just have a bit of catching up to do!

There is a new challenge up at The Studio this morning...and I LOVE it!  We were given a list of 8 items to use and were asked to use as many as possible on our project.  I managed to squeeze all of them into my layout.  Here is the list:

*sequins

*mist

*brads

*stamping

*chipboard

*thread

*vellum

*yellow

Here is my layout:

Here is the breakdown of how I used all my supplies:

I love this photo of my niece and I.  It is from our trip to Universal Studios earlier this year.  We got her interested in Harry Potter before we went so she could fully enjoy all that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has to offer...including butter beers!  E & I are pretty sure that butter beers are cream soda with a whipped butterscotch topping...delightful!!  She is definitely rocking a better butter beer mustache than I am!

You may not be able to tell from the photo, but the paper in the center is actually vellum and I put yellow sequins between the vellum and the cardstock for a fun shaker effect.

Since there were sequins on the list, I, of course, used some of my fun supplies from Spiegelmom Scraps:

-Sunny Day Sequins

-Moonshine Delight Sequins

-Normandy Lace Paper Doilies

I hope you can play along with us at The Studio!!  And I hope you decide to browse the awesomness of the Spiegelmom Scraps store...use code KAT10 for 10% off your purchase there!

Cardstock: Bazzill; Vellum: Pretty Little Studios; Brads, Wood Veneer Title: Dear Lizzy for American Crafts; Alphas: Teresa Collins; Sequins: Spiegelmom Scraps, Studio Calico; Labels: Elle's Studio; Chipboard Heart, Mist: Studio Calico; Doily: Spiegelmom Scraps; Mini Paper Clips: Doodlebug Design

Project Read || February Wrap-Up

I am proud to announce I am still right on track for Project Read!  Seriously...I am right on track...I doubt that I will be squeezing in too many extra books any time soon, although, I do expect my reading to pick up a bit this summer...hopefully, I will CRUSH this 35-book goal!  :)

Okay, so here's what was on the list this month:

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins – I love a good psychological thriller every now and then.  One of my favorite authors is Gillian Flynn and this book by Paula Hawkins reminds me a lot of Flynn’s novels.  It was dark, depressing and none of the characters were likable – but it was still fantastic.  This book is told from three different women’s perspectives.  However, most of the book centers around Rachel.  Rachel rides the train every day and often sees a “happy” couple – “Jess and Jason” - while on her ride.  She creates a whole life for them in her mind.  One day she sees “Jess” kissing another man and the next day “Jess” goes missing.  Rachel becomes quickly involved in the story just because of the knowledge she has gathered from her train rides and the fact that she was in “Jess’s” neighborhood the night she went missing.  Rachel is considered both an unreliable source and a possible suspect because she spends most of her life in a drunken stupor. The rest of the book is told from the perspectives of Megan (“Jess’s” real name) and Anna (Megan’s neighbor and the wife of Rachel’s ex-husband).  I couldn’t put it down and actually ended up reading it in a day.  The ending was a bit of a surprise – I figured it out a few chapters before the big reveal, but Hawkins tied it all together so nicely.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good thriller.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes – I have had this book sitting on my bookshelf since 2013.  Eric sent it to me when I was on my 7-month long work trip out of the country.  I’ve really been putting off reading it.  I have always heard such great things about it, but it’s also described as “heartbreaking.”  The book cover even describes it as “heartbreaking.”  I don’t know about you, but I really have to be in the right frame of mind for a “heartbreaking” book.  However, I finally took the plunge and read it…it was quite good…and heartbreaking.  This book tells the story of Louisa and Will.  Louisa is a 20-something year old girl who has never strayed far from home and must work in order to support her little family.  Will is a former high profile business man who finds himself wheelchair bound after an accident.  Louisa takes a job as Will’s caregiver and shortly later finds out that Will has plans to schedule an assisted suicide at Dignitas in Switzerland.  Louisa must try to change his mind before it’s too late.  Such a great, emotional book.  I recommend it…but have tissues handy!

The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Lianne Moriarty – This is the second Moriarty book that I’ve read this year.  As I mentioned last month, I really do love her books.  This book is about Ellen, a hypnotist, who is informed by her new boyfriend, Patrick, that he is being stalked by his ex-girlfriend.  His stalker, Saskia, never gives him a moment of peace.  Ellen doesn’t realize it, but Saskia is actually one of her hypnotism patients!  At the same time they are being stalked, Ellen and Patrick are going through some big life changes and Saskia is there to witness them all.  The story is told from two perspectives – Ellen’s and Saskia’s.  It’s an entertaining story for sure, but I would recommend Moriarty’s other books over this one.  This novel is a bit slow in places and I didn’t feel like all the characters motives were completely explained at the book’s end.

As always, I will gladly take suggestions for future reads!  I'm willing to try anything and have already added Bossypants to my to-read list since Laurie recommended it.