Monday, February 18, 2013

And then there was you...


This layout has been sitting on my counter for a few days now. I have one of those stands that you can display your layouts on and in an attempt to display some of these projects I've spent so much time on, I've started putting up my latest creations for people to see when they come over. I've actually made more recent pages, but I am seriously in love with this one so much that I just cannot bear to take it down and put it into my album just yet.

Love you to the moon and back. I've seen this saying in a million different formats. I think the very first time I saw it, it was a print, and why I didn't buy it, I don't know. Because I could put it everywhere.

On a side note: Paul does say this to me every now and then. Especially when he's out of town at work and I'm being a whiney little brat over the phone because I miss him. He's pretty awesome. And I love him a lot. Probably to the moon, and back, and then times infinity of course :)

But alas. This is a post about a layout. Not my love of quotes.

It was pretty simple to make, and quite fast too. The quote is a Silhouette vinyl cut from the store. I used the negative and cut it where I wanted it to be on the background. I then backed it with patterned paper, laid down the positive into the negative space so I could get the little inner pieces into the right places. That was about the only tedious part of this layout.

I used Mister Huey in Bluegrass for the splatters. The papers and embellishments are all from Studio Calico's Block Party Kit (along with the add-on Wildberry Court). The photo is matted with a piece of patterned paper from the Card Kit for Block Party and has been sewed around the edges (a detail you cannot really see in the photo I don't think). I also curled the edges of the mat, so there is quite a bit of dimension when you are actually looking at the page in person. I really love the patterned papers in the Card Kit - they're scaled down and are just so sweet in that size. I've had to stop myself from using that honeycomb pattern paper on everything. Seriously - it's just too cute and so neutral it goes with pretty much anything I make!

There's no journalling on this one. I'm not big for journalling in the first place - while I do have many stories to tell, I really hate my handwriting, so unfortunately I never incorporate it into my pages. That is something I really should work on...

That's about all I've got to say on this one. I'm really working on trying to create more content for this blog. But I'm torn between just showing layouts, or sharing a bit of my day to day life here. I'm normally a pretty sharing person, but I haven't quite figured out just what it is I am okay with sharing yet!

Oh well, a problem for another day :)

Happy Family Day to all those who are sharing in on this holiday - I personally just love the random Alberta Holiday (though I hear there's other provinces who have this too?) and the fact that I am off! And Paul is home! And we're just spending the long weekend hanging out doing whatever. Love it!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

And then there was a lovely little family...

I would like to begin by refusing to apologize for having been absent for almost a month. Cause you all know I'm not! Not sorry, that is.

It's funny how I begin things (oh no, not just blog posts - I neglect MANY things that I start) and then never get around to finishing or continuing or completing or any of those fun words that mean I can actually do something from start to finish!

In any event, I have been creating layouts - not at an alarming rate or anything, but enough to have a few in my back pocket that I'm hoping to churn out into a few posts.

Yes, you heard me right. A couple posts.

As in: MORE THEN ONE!

As in: I'm going to write them all today and put them on future post.

As in: Yeah, I'll set them to post daily for like three or four days in a row and then promptly forget I have a blog for another month! Yay!

Hurrah!

So to begin.

Here's a little something I cranked out this afternoon.


My Aunt Glenda came for my Mom's Surprise 50th Birthday Party back in April (2012), and with her she brought a pile of old photos that had (basically) me in them! I've been slowly working my way through them, using them in layouts here and there, trying to use them up instead of dooming them to a life in an album or a box somewhere never to be seen.

This particular photo has been our family picture for years. It's graced the walls of my parent's living room since it was taken. I am now 26 and I'm the little one holding the flower. So that's a long, long time people. Plus, I have a baby brother now too - he's totally not in this picture (obviously!) - so it's really time for Mama to get a new family photo.

Anyway - back to the actual layout! Like I said, I'm the toddler holding the flower. I refused to look at the camera because I was too interested in the flower I had just savagely picked from my Nan's garden.

Also - another interesting fact - my parents are wearing sweat pants! Who wears sweat pants to a family photo?! Haha. I know this because my Aunt was the photographer and the out-takes are kicking around somewhere!

The title "Families are Forever" is from the Silhouette Store and cut on cardstock. Most of the elements are from the Studio Calico Kit Block Party and Add-on, Wildberry Court. I also received the Block Party Card kit, so there may be bits and pieces of that kit in here too. I never keep my kits separated if they belong to the same month.

The grid background is actually a velum paper that was in the Block Party kit. It is raised off a piece of cardstock by the chipboard hearts that I've attached to the cardstock underneath the vellum. I was going for the look that Melissa Mann had going on in this layout, Self Portrait, but like the way most scraplifts/inspirations go, this one turned out nothing how I had intended! Hah



This layout was missing something though, so I ended up throwing in doilies procured from both Studio Calico and Treasured Memories. There are also about five glassine envelopes backing various elements that were purchased at TM. I've also thrown in a lot of little things that were sitting in bowls on my desk - die cuts, brads, etc.

And there you have it :)

Sunday, January 20, 2013

And then there was another apology...

Someone please tell me where the heck January went? And December too, while you're at it! I am having a hard time figuring out just where the hell at this time has gone...

So my last post was about my December Daily, and how I was oh so happy to be staying on top of things, blah blah blah - guess what? That's about as far as it went...

My Project Life is up to date for January though (bahah - yeah, the whole two weeks!)... what? Doesn't count? Didn't think so!

Here is what I have been up to:


This is the first layout in awhile that I made just for the hell of making it. Honestly, I've just been too overwhelmed with Christmas and New Years and Baby Showers. I also started a new position at work and it was a total change from anything I had ever done before, so that's been taking quite a bit of energy as well.

Here is the whole layout:


Kit used is Block Party (Studio Calico) and add on, Wildberry Court. The paint used on the background, as well as on the resist hearts, is Chewing Gum from Jenni Bowlin - I absolutely love this shade of pink. The silver splatters are courtesy of Mister Huey's in Silver - which I absolutely love when it dries, but while it's still wet, makes me double guess myself! Hah. Background lace/grid/whateveryawannacallit is from the Silhouette Store and can be found here. There's also a hint of washi tape (Woodland Park Chevron - October Afternoon) and a few staples from my tiny attacher (love that thing!).

Of course the little one is Miss Kaelyn. Don't worry, I think I might be babied out on layouts for now ;) I've got one more project in mind for Kaelyn's baby photo shoot, but that will be a present for her Mama, so hopefully it's on to new and better things soon!

I'm throwing my sister a baby shower next weekend but I'm hoping to capture some of the "in progress" shots, so maybe, just maybe I might have some blog content this week! I really am hoping to put more effort into my blog this year (I know, I know - promises, promises...).

Here are a few things I'm working on (and hopefully by telling you, I'll feel more compelled to write about them!):
- A pre-made Baby Shower book to fill with pictures as the party progresses
- An album for Kaelyn's baby photos
- December Daily (finish the darn thing...)
- Decorations for Baby Shower
- Photo Booth for Diaper Party and Baby Shower
- Valentines
- Organizing my beast of a scraproom

Thanks for listening to my rambling babble! I hope to make more sense next time :)