Project Life 2016 | August 1-7

Hi all! It's been an incredibly busy few weeks (I turned 40, went to NYC, went to Connecticut, attended multiple family events, ran 2 5Ks) but things are finally settling down, and I'm happy to find some creative blogging time again!

Today I'm sharing a layout using the September Pocket Life kit from Citrus Twist Kits, along with their sprinkles kit from August.

Disclaimer- please forgive the photo quality. It's been cloudy and overcast for days, and my editing attempts to brighten were marginally successful.

Here's the overall layout...

And the full left page...

I picked my favorite pattern from the 6x6 papers to use for the title card and kept it simple with a vertical row of chipboard hearts and some of the beautiful Maggie Holmes gold puffy alpha. The hearts are from an exclusive Citrus Twist chipboard pack available in their shop.

The Pocket Life kit came with 2 thin wood veneer words. I chose to use the "hello" on on this card, but colored it a dark navy blue with a spray mist. The heart is from the Reset Girl die-cut pack also included the kit, which I stitched in place.

With the adorable cat paper in this collection, I had to include a photo of our little Molly.

Here is the overall right side page...

I used one of the exclusive 4x6 cards from the kit as a base for the card above. I sliced the yellow banner to tuck my photo underneath and added a bit of stitching to make it look more dimensional. The enamel dots throughout the layout were included in the August sprinkles kit. I love those gray marble-y ones!

The photo above turned out to be my favorite from this layout. I layered a photo frame (from the Cute Girl ephemera pack included in the August Sprinkles kit), a chipboard sentiment (from the exclusive Citrus Twist set) and more of the gold Maggie Holmes alpha, all on top of a full 4x6 photo. Simple, and I love the results!
And those gold alpha... gorgeous! I used sooo many letters throughout the layout and still have tons left!

This week also included an insert. I trimmed an October Afternoon page protector with 3"x3" pockets, and used it to document a hiking trip my daughter took with her friends. These printed photos came out a bit dark for some reason, but I likely won't bother reprinting. Sometimes I just need to accept and move forward!

Here's the front side of the insert...

I used a handful of hiking/outdoor pieces from Color Cast Designs on the insert. In the center, is their "Take a Hike" acrylic, layered over a heart from the Cute Girl ephemera pack.

The tab along the edge is from the Reset Girl die-cut cut pack, stamped with a sentiment from an old Citrus Twist stamp set. That bottom right card is one of the Citrus Twist 3x4 cards, trimmed down to 3x3, along with another Color Cast Designs acrylic.

Here is the back side of the insert...

Here's one last peek at how the insert looks in the album...

And that about wraps it up for this layout. Thanks for stopping by!

Project Life 2016 | Beach Vacation

Settle in for a marathon post peeps! Today I'm sharing a week in my Project Life album that documents our beach vacation from earlier this summer. I constantly see people question how to document a big event, like a vacation, within their Project Life album. Or if they even SHOULD. Personally, I'd never want to leave a big hole in what is otherwise a summary of our year, so I always include it. I just add smaller inserts as needed.

For this layout I gathered supplies with a fun tropical color scheme. I started with the Simple Stories "You Are Here" collection and purchased the 6x6 paper pad, card pack (which includes some die cut pieces), wood veneer and cardstock sticker sheet from that collection. I also purchased a handful of acrylic pieces from Color Cast Designs, from their May release. The colors and theme were just PERFECT! As I went along, I also pulled in a few things from my stash- alpha stickers, washi, enamel dots and some additional acrylic pieces.

So without further ado, here's our 2016 beach vacation. This spread includes a traditional Design A left and right page as my "bookends" to the week, plus 5 inserts to summarize each day.

Here's the full left page, which documents our travel and arrival in Myrtle Beach. The title card here was simple, layering some cardstock stickers from the Simple Stories collection, a strip of washi and an acrylic piece from Color Cast Designs. The wood veneer alpha stickers are from Bo Bunny.

Below, a small photo I grabbed off my daughter's Snapchat, and on the right, a simple strip of gold vellum and wood veneer hold our room key. I think that veneer disc is from an old Citrus Twist kit.

As I mentioned, this layout includes a bunch of inserts... 5 to be exact. I used 3" square pocket pages for all of the inserts. To the edge of each, I added a tab (punched from the Simple Stories), labeled with a day of the week roller stamp from Studio Calico. Each day of our vacation is documented on the front of an insert, with our evening activities on the back side. I love how these look stacked up in the album!

Insert #1 front (Sunday daytime)...

I also added a white circle acrylic piece to indicate each day of the week. Those pieces are from Elle's Studio, and can be found here.

Below, one of the many acrylic pieces from Color Cast Designs, I've used throughout the layout...

Insert #1 back (Sunday evening)...

I used a few of the Simple Stories wood veneer pieces throughout the layout. For each piece, I used a wood stain marker to stain the wood to a deeper tone. These pens can be found at Home Depot type stores, and are used to "touch-up" scratches in wood cabinetry or furniture. I love the deep, rich color the wood veneer has once it is stained!

Insert #2 front (Monday daytime)...

My favorite element from this insert is this little pocket...

I saved a bit of sand from the beach along with some of the tiniest shells ever, and added them to one of the pockets, backed by a piece of vellum. I also added a couple of the super adorable acrylic fish from Color Cast Designs, and then sealed the pocket shut with my Fuse tool.

Insert #2 back (Monday evening)...

Insert #3 front (Tuesday daytime)...

Insert #3 back (Tuesday evening)...

Insert #4 front (Wednesday daytime)...

Below, another stained wood veneer piece. Most paper and cards used throughout the layout are from Simple Stories, but this one behind the flamingo is from Elle's Studio.

Insert #4 back (Wednesday evening)...

The card pack from Simple Stories included a handful of 2" square cards. I love these little journalling ones, in the card below, and used several throughout the layout, layered with washi, stickers, wood veneer and enamel dots.

Those sunset photos are some of my favorite from the week. The colors were just amazing, changing every few minutes! I really love the look of square pocket pages, but sometimes a photo just can't be cropped. When thay happens, I adjust the borders when I'm editing, so that I can stretch the photo over 2 squares!

Insert #5 front (Thursday daytime)...

Again, more acrylic from Color Cast Designs. I loved the "sun" "sand" and "surf" script pieces together, so I choose to use them all one 1 insert.

That wood veneer anchor is also from Color Cast Designs. I stained it just as I did the other pieces in the layout.

Insert #5 back (Thursday evening)...

And finally, here is the full right side page, which documents a few miscellaneous things that didn't fit in elsewhere, plus our departure and travel home.

The 3x4 card below is a leftover from a Citrus Twist kit.

I love the simplicity this full 4x6 photo with some alpha and acrylic. A great way to finish off the layout.

Here's a collage of all those inserts pages together!

And...Phew! That's about it for this layout!

If you are contemplating documenting a vacation or big event of your own and feeling overwhelmed, check out this post, where I've previously shared my process.

Thanks for stopping by!