Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Zoe's first birthday

I can't seem to get enough of Pebbles Hip Hip Hooray line.  I have done at least 3 layouts and I'm working on #4.  I've never done that before - normally i buy enough for one page and I'm spent and move on.  Not this line...this I have purchase at least two more times since it came in my Studio Calico kit. 

I took a small doily and used Cameo for the misting/masking magic :)  I also used a little of the most awesome glitter paper ever!  POW from American Crafts is stunning and they come in about 10 colors (I hope they come out with more since I'm now addicted).  I also used the smash date stamp (my dear lizzy one is on order - whoo hoo!) and washi tape from A Muse Studio. 

This is a happy and sad layout for me.  I'm so excited to watch her grow I think I just wish it was a little slower.  Maybe it's because shes the baby - the last one.  My 3 year old on the other hand is showing me that two is a cake walk... ;)
xoxo
-M

Friday, February 24, 2012

"Do You Realize?"


I was listening to XM radio the other day and Flaming Lips came on with their song "Do you realize?".  I've always loved that song but I was in the middle of scrap-lifting this awesome layout that I found over at Studio Calico when it just hit me.  As soon as I got home I took all the butterflies that I had die cut (A Muse Studio butterfly trio) out and redesigned my entire layout.  I knew I wanted a tone on tone look but instead of it looking like Kinsey's page called Dylan (Take Note) see- Kinsey's work @ Studio Calico  (which don't get me wrong - I LOVE. LOVE, LOVE this layout) to the one you see above.  I never do double pages but and defiantly not 8.5 x 11 but that size seems to be my thing lately and I thought these lyrics just looked better on two pages.  I used Stepping Stone which is a alphabet set from Studio Calico (in both the lined and solid fonts) as well as using their awesome wood veneer letters from a previous kit.  I pretty much have killed that alpha so I used what I could and left it plain.  I used chalk ink in raspberry pie and dark bark.  I don't even know who makes them but they are little ink pads of loveliness.  To finish it off I took brads from My Minds Eye from the _ collection and 7 Gypsies silver domes to break up all that craft.  I took this picture of my daughter Zoe when she was just 6 months and it's still one of my favorites to date.  Poor Holden has been a bit neglected in the scrapbooking world so I will have my next two layouts be all about him.  Until next time :)

CK sketch

 
creative keepsakes sketch 

I came across this sketch from either a post that CK did off of Twitter or Facebook.  I already had an idea with photos that I had been playing around with but was having issues coming up with a design.  I was pretty happy to see this sketch since I felt it fit fairly well.  

My little girl can be quite dramatic when she is told no and one day I picked up my 7s and was able to get her 4 stages of disbelief.  She kept trying to do something she wasn't supposed to which gave me plenty of opportunity to snap whatever I needed.  This is what I came up with. 


  I used a good amount of Crate Paper Valentine line, A Muse Studio cloud dies (smaller gray clouds), Mister Huey mists in clay and white, two different types of letters both from Studio Calico and then I drew out the umbrella and larger clouds.  I wanted to watercolor because I love how the colors blend but still look like it was just left out in the rain.  I hand wrote the 4 steps and took that title from a Los Campesinos! song.  I just thought it was so fitting and it's a good song.  Oh and that wood-grain circle that is on the first page is the stickers Studio Calico uses to seal our kits.  I just love those stickers - I save them every time :)

Thursday, February 16, 2012

THANKS!

I belong to an amazing club/subscription/kit/support group from Studio Calico.  One of the awesome employee's (really they are all just amazing!) April sent me a huge gift.  Well at least was huge to me and I love her for it.  So to tell her that she was beyond appreciated I sent her a thank you card.  I used a Technique Tuesday alpha set that is at least 6 years old but I just love it (and don't use it as much as I should).  I took an explanation point to make the background (saw that in a hero arts catalog and thought it was a very neat idea) and then watercolored the letters.


Thanks again April.  You are the BEST!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

I lovea this layout - finally!





I mixed both collections for my next two layouts.  Along with the primary kit - Daydream Believer - I also got the add on paper which was chock full of the brand new lines from Dear Lizzy Neapolitan and Pebbles Hip Hip Horary!  I like to switch up my sizes so I went with 8.5 x 11.  I also tossed in some washi tape from a past SC kit, SC wood veneers, smash date stamp, American Crafts and Authentique letter stickers, pink stickles for the little heart and Prima's raspberry pie ink on the top and bottom.  I took a paint brush and watercolored the ink to give it a softer look plus added a little here and there to tie it all in.  I love to watercolor but I also love to use ink as my medium.

The title says "I lovea us".  The lovea comes from our 3 year old son who tells my husband (who is away a good bit) that he lovea him when talking to him on the phone.  For some reason he adds letters to certain words and poof now you have an inside joke that's extremely cute and a must to document.  The picture was taken on a lunch date in Frederick, MD.  They have the best stores and this hat that my very silly husband is wearing was taken because we have a dear friend who just LOVES monkeys :) I love how silly and stupid we are. 

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Let's RIDE!!!!

Over @ The Green Frog Studio Ms. Celine (also of Studio Calico fame) posted this lovely sketch on her blog.  I thought with the arrival of my awesome kit that I should go ahead and play along. Using parts of my primary kit - Daydream Believer and parts of the add on paper pack that is really just a must pretty much every month (but then again I am a bit of a paper lover) I pieced this puppy together.  Most of it is from the new Pebbles line which honestly just blows me away because I remember Pebbles when they did those plastic buckle embellishments.  This is a paper collection that is very happy and very playful and so not would I would have purchased but LOVE!  Dear Lizzy is another one that is so not me or so I thought.  The love bit is from one of my favorites papers in the bunch.  I used the smash date stamp, American Crafts and Dear Lizzy alpha and then topped it off with one of my favorite things from SC - their stamps.  I snagged this for project life but the "Epic Stamp Set" took on something else when I looked at the polka dot Polaroid frame upside down.  The "good times" is also from this set.  Now if I could just snag the other set...

This picture was taken of my dear boy riding his brand new big wheel on his 3rd birthday.  Poor little thing was born at the end of Dec so it's cold and dark but that wasn't about to deter him from getting outside and taking it for a spin ;)