Life looks a lot like this...

It's amazing how taking off work on a Monday can throw me completely off-schedule. It's just one. little. day. Yet I'm behind on everything: laundry, email, work, blog, scrappy projects. How does that happen?

As I try to re-group and check a few more items off my to-do list, I thought I'd share a few projects I created for the Pretty Little Studio blog over the past month.

A wall hanging for my scrapbook room created with the Antique Store collection and some Maya Road jumbo bottlecaps. I'm excited about this one because Maya Road liked it enough to put it on their Pinterest page. Score!

I also added some Epiphany Crafts goodies, including a Round 14 Charm Setting that I attached to a key.

This layout was created for the "out of the box" inspiration challenge and is based on this photo from Pinterest. I used the Candy Jar Labels and cut out the centers with a craft knife to create the frames for these photos.

And here's a back-to-school layout I did with the Apple Cider collection -- I think it's my favorite of all the Pretty Little Studio lines I've worked with. The flashcard has the girls ages (5 and 7), so it was a perfect addition (pun intended).

Blog updated -- check! Next?

Bon Voyage

I've been daydreaming lately...of walking along a sandy beach or sipping wine on a balcony with a view. The travel offers in my inbox are getting more and more clicks from me. And when I see a plane flying through the sky, I wonder where it's going and assume it's probably somewhere beautiful and exotic.

Sadly, there are no exotic trips in my near future, but we are getting away for a quick road trip this weekend to San Antonio. My kids are excited to go to Sea World, and I'm excited to check into a hotel room that doesn't look like a Toys R Us exploded inside it.

Coincidentally, Imaginisce has just released a new line that is feeding my inner travel bug. It's called Bon Voyage, and it's a very different line -- kinda grown-up and sophisticated. Here's what I created:

I found this old photo of Avery and realized I'd never scrapped it before. And the title is also the first book she ever owned (Adam bought it for her when I was still pregnant).

This two-page layout uses only patterned paper, canvas stickers, cardstock and letter stickers -- it's a lot simpler than it looks.

 

This line is perfect for making masculine cards, which is great since I have basically zero man-cards in my stash.

I used the Epiphany Shape Studio Round 14s to create the epoxy dots on this one.

Be sure to check out all the other designers' projects on the Imaginisce blog this week. There's a great giveaway, too!

Sunny days

The weather has been amazing this week: sunshine, blue skies, dinner on the patio. Yes, I'll take it!

In honor of the beautiful sunshine, here are some bright, shiny projects.

I used the Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio to create the centers for the felt Star Flower and the Vintage Settings.

Most of the other supplies are old Bella Blvd papers and embellishments that I've been hanging onto for a while. I toyed with the thought of trying out for their recent design team call, but the timing wasn't quite right this time. Really love their stuff though.

Here's a card I created for the Pretty Little Studio blog. It's an easy design, and I posted a step-by-step here if you're interested.
 

Hope you're enjoying sunny days wherever you are!

Colorful

Cecily always inspires me with her fashion choices. She's not afraid to mix plaids and stripes and polka dots. She'll fearlessly pair an orange top with a green skirt and pink leggings and, somehow, it just works. Granted, she's 5, but I really love her fashion sense.

Over the past few years, I've become more courageous in mixing patterns and colors, and I think my crafty ventures are a big part of it. It's much easier to take a risk with sheets of paper that cost less than $1 than with articles of clothing or yards of designer fabric. Another plus is that some of the really smart paper manufacturers -- like Doodlebug Designs -- make supplies that color-coordinate. So you can mix fearlessly, just like Cecily.


Here are some very colorful projects I created with the Nifty Notions collection from Doodlebug Designs.

Appropriately enough, this photo was taken outside the Dallas Museum of Art. That mosaic just screams "take my photo!"

I didn't have letter stickers in all the colors I needed, so I whipped out my acrylic paint and altered a few white stickers to the colors I needed.

I made this monogram card using a letter sticker. I'm not quite sure who I'm going to give it to, but the great thing is that I can change the monogram by changing out the sticker and the person will think I made it just for them. Shhh...

And finally a mini album that holds some of my very favorite photos taken this summer. I've gotten into a habit of doing these "favorites" books, and they're always the first thing my friends and family members pick up when they come into my room.

Thanks for stopping by!

A few pretties

Yes, I still scrap girly layouts and cards. My life with two girls is still full of ruffles and bows and pink dresses. Although I'm not sure how much longer it will last. As they get older and their styles change, I figure our days of frilly and fancy are numbered.

But in the meantime, here are some of the girly projects I've done recently. The first two are for Pretty Little Studio, which has some beautiful vintage doll embellishments that are perfect for pink dress and tea party layouts. 

I had the pink flower trim in my stash, and it was a perfect way to cover the seams between the two patterned papers.

Really loved this little cut-out with the doll -- it even looks like Cecily!

This is a window card using the Lemon Slice Garland Tags. I used a Spellbinders die to cut the window from the cover, then strung the tags for the sentiment.

Here's a really simple layout I did using the Doily dies from Papertrey Ink and some Pebbles supplies.

 

These photos were taken on the same day as the ones in the first layout I posted today, but these actually show my grandmother's china that we dug out of storage for this very special birthday tea party.

  

 Again, more trim that I found in my stash. I think this might be a Crate Paper trim, or maybe American Crafts? I don't know, but I love it!

I added this sweet little resin flower with just a tiny bit of sparkle.

And that's it for now...I have a few more projects that I'm behind on posting. Hopefully the long weekend will give me a chance to catch up!