Project Life 2017 | Week 1

Hi everyone! I'm thrilled to be sharing my first layout from my 2017 album! Not to say I'm done with 2016 because I'm still catching up on the last couple months, but I shifted gears for a bit and started 2017. Yay!!!

For this layout I used the September PL kit and paper add-on from Hip Kit Club. A repetitive theme for this layout was lots of gold thread stitching and lots of fussy cutting. So without further ado, here we go...

Here is the full layout...

And just the left side...

The Hip Kit I was using included a pack of large wood veneer numbers from Dear Lizzy, which was perfect to announce the start of a new year. I used some gold acrylic paint (called "Pure Gold" from Folk Art) to paint the numbers gold. This really helps tie them together with the puffy gold alpha letters used elsewhere in the layout.

To up the gold factor even more, I used gold thread for stitching throughout the layout, including on a couple leaves of the title card. Fussy cutting an extra dimensional leaf added some interest. I love how the stitching turned out... so pretty and delicate!

Throughout the layout I used a bunch of die cuts from Simple Stories, which were included in the kit. They were a great compliment to the Maggie Holmes "Gather" papers and exclusive cards in the kit.

The card above was a 3x4 card from the kit. I fussy cut some small flowers from one of the Maggie Holmes papers to add along the top and bottom edges, and added a die-cut and gold stitching.

The "Hello New Year" card above started with my favorite 3x4 card from the kit. I love the repetitive Hello in the varying colors. To add a bit more interest, I stitched over one Hello, and used the gold puffy alpha letters to add the "New Year." I LOVE how this turned out!

Above, I used one of the 4x6 cards as a base, with a few strips of paper layered and tucked under the photos to add some color. I fussy cut the "The Sweetest Things" sentiment from one from one of the exclusive cards in the kit, and added a cluster of a chipboard heart and enamel dots.

I like to add just a bit to my full 4x6 photos.

Moving on to the right side page...

There's a lot going on in the card above, so let me break it down. The base is created with 2 3x4 pieces put together. The wood grain on the left was a kit exclusive. The floral on the right is just cut from one of the Maggie Holmes papers. On that, I added my photos. I fussy cut the "Currently" from one of the exclusive kit cards, and then added the pencil die-cut from the Simple Stories pack, with a line of gold stitching. Finally, I added some gold puffy letters to for the rest of the title.

Just a simple little cluster on the card above, with a gold foil die-cut, chipboard heart, ink splatter and some enamel dots.

Above, I created a simple filler card. Using a strategically cut piece of the Simple Stories patterned paper as a base, I added some gold ink spltter and gold stitching along some of the radial lines in the pattern. At the center of the sunburst design, I added a circle sentiment, which I punched from one of the 3x4 cards in the kit.

The stitching is delicate but adds just enough interest to an otherwise plain card.

Finally, the last photo in this layout... a photo of my husband and I, which I embellished with some more fussy cut flowers, stitching and gold puffy alpha.

Lastly, I have a quick video flip-thru for this layout, and I talk about a few design principles that I use. You can check that out here...

Project Life 2016 | October 3-16

Hi all! It's still cold and wintery here in upstate New York, with everything covered in a coat of white, so it's been nice to scrap colorful pictures from fall. The layout I'm sharing today spans another 2 weeks. I didnt have many photos from either of these weeks, and they werr both fall-themed, so I happily combined them into 1 layout.

For this layout I didn't use a kit, but rather a few products from a singular collection- Fancy Pants Designs "Golden Days." The colors and theme were perfect for the photos I was using. I purchased 3 items from this collection- the 6x6 paper pad, the "tags and labels" pack and a sheet of puffy stickers. With only a few small exceptions, those were really the only products I used in this layout.

Here's the overall layout...

And the full left side...

For the title card this week, I grabbed an October calendar card I received with an Elle's Studio purchase, layered it over a piece of this gorgeous floral patterned paper and stitched a border around the edge. To mark the date I used a couple small puffy hearts.

I used several of the tags provided in the kit. Below is one, which I trimmed smaller. The stamped sentiment are from Citrus Twist Kits stamp sets, and the rubber piece is from Freckled Fawn. The puffy gold heart is from the Golden Days collection. I used several of these throughout the layout.

The card on the right in the photo above was so simple, but turned out so pretty. The "Golden Days" puffy are from the collection, as is the 3x4 background card (it was included in the tags and labels pack). I simply added some ink splatter and stitching.

Below, I added a flap to hold a few extra photos.

To add some interest to couple of the full 4x6 photos in this layout, I added clusters of labels, washi top and puffy stickers, with just a bit of stitching. I love how these look. Again, the stamped sentiment is from Citrus Twist Kits. I keep a bin of all these mini stamp sets above my desk and use them on every single layout!

Here's the full right side...

This gold puffy "love" sticker is one of my most favorite things ever! I added it directly on my photo, to fill in tge blank air space, along with some navy alpha from my stash. These are from Basic Grey I think?

Here's another card with a stitched tag and cluster of puffy stickers. That particular tag was a completely different shape, that I trimmed to match the others I used.

Below, one of my favorite cards! This 3x4 card was included in the "tags and labels" pack. I loved the quote, and the image of floating leaves cascading down. I added a bit of ink splatter and a couple puffy leaves to give it some dimension. I also used a thin wood veneer leaf from Citrus Twist Kits and stitched it in place.

And just a few last little details...

And that's it for this layout. Thanks for stopping by!

Project Life 2016 | Sept 19 - Oct 2

Hi scrappy peeps! Today I'm sharing a layout from late September into early October. In an effort to catch up, I combined two weeks into a single spread. I'm going with the flow here, and making my own rules!

For this layout I used the December "Kinsley" Pocket Life kit from Citrus Twist Kits. The kit included a set of exclusives papers and cards, some of which had a paint splatter effect, which was PERFECT to document a layout that included photos from a Color Me Rad race! For those that don't know, it's a 5K race where you start wearing white clothes and end up being COVERED in color by the time you cross the finish line. This was the 3rd time I've run this race- it's so fun!!!

Here's the overall layout...

And the full left side...

For the title card, I really wanted to highlight that exclusive ink splatter card. I used the vellum "LIFE" letters included in the kit for part of my title, and handstitched the "RAD" part. I looked up a definition of rad in the Urban Dictionary and printed that to add to the title card as well. It was cute and seemed fitting. It's subtle, but I also added some stitching to the top edge of the definition strip.

I love to combine a 3x4 photo with a 3x4 journal or filler card for a 4x6 pocket. Its a break from the repetition. Below, I've combined a beautiful pic of my daughter and her friend (oh, how they love those Snapchat filters), with a filler card from the kit. Down the seam between the 2 pieces, I added a narrow strip of pink & gold washi, layered with a die cut that I stitched in place, and just a bit of ink splatter. I think this is my favorite card of the week...

This week also included the day I turned 40 (eek!). That journal card that reads "Big Event (Life Altering)" was included in the kit and couldn't have been more perfect!

Many of the pockets on this left side document a weekend trip I made with my girlfriends to CKC (Creating Keepsakes Events). We normally attend the Manchester, NH location but due to a few conflicts, we attended the Hartford, CT this year instead. We all found it to be pretty quiet with far less vendors and classes, but we still enjoyed ourselves. The girls surprised me with a yummy cake for my birthday. The card below shows how excited I was to have chocolate cake with my evening cocktail! ;)

I used several of the Project Life brand die cuts throughout the layout, including the flowers and "Friday" tag on the card above. I stitched all the die cuts in place using a bright lemony yellow thread. It's hard to see in the photos, but it was fun to use a thred color other than white! I've also added a few of the exclusive blue word stickers here and there. The sayings on these were great this week!

I just had to document the Presidential debates of 2016. What a train wreck that was!!!

Here's the full right side. Most of the right side documents the Color Me Rad race.

I added some Sn@p alpha stickers from my stash, to add more of the limey-yellow accent color.

I love this "Details" 4x6 card from the kit. Perfect for a collection of smaller photos I wanted to include. Again, more stitched die-cut flowers, to balance the left side, and another great word sticker.

One last thing before I wrap up this layout. I included our race bibs from the race. They don't absorb the same as clothing, but it's fun to see the color remnants on them. I love to include memorabilia like this in my album! I just tucked them in a smaller 6x8 page protector. That I trimmed down just a bit. Here's how they look in the album...

And that's it. Thanks for stopping by!