Gossamer Blue September Inspiration Blog Hop

Good morning! Today the team at Gossamer Blue is blog hopping with some of our favorite projects using the September kits. For this layout, I chose some of my favorite photos from the fall semester of homeschool kindergarten. I found an apple cut file and then back the apples with two different patterned papers. 

I added a little machine stitching to the apples for texture. 

The themed Life Pages add-on had some great wood veneer pieces. I also cut up one of the cards to use below part of the title I cut with my cameo. 

Thanks for stopping by today! Here's the rest of the blog hop:

Alex Hunter
Andrea Gray Anabelle O'Malley
Brenda Smith
Brenda Weaver
Caylee Grey
Chantal Philippe
Diane Payne
Emily Spahn
Eunyoung Lee
Jill Cornell
Jill Keller
Joy Taylor Kathleen Graumüller
Katie Ehmann
Kellie Winnell
Kelly Xenos
Michelle Wedertz
Michelle Wooderson
Olatz Garaiyurrebaso
Patricia Roebuck
Rebecca Luminarias
Sandra Dietrich
Sian Fair

Gossamer Blue September Kits

Happy September 1st! It's reveal day at Gossamer Blue and I have a couple layouts to share with you that I created with the September kits. My projects this month seemed to incorporate grids! 

For this first layout, I created a collage of photos we took at the Iowa State Fair this year. We had a blast - from the food to the animals to the rides to looking at amazing projects!

The alphabet options in the kits are so great - Crate Paper and PinkFresh - lots of opportunities to make cool titles!

The second layout I have to share today features a trip to Living History Farms last fall. This time I put the title in the middle with the grid on top and bottom. 

If you haven't guessed by now, I love using multiple photos on my layouts and creating a grid is an easy way to do that. Just keep most of the photos the same size and you've got a collage!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Gossamer Blue August Inspiration Blog Hop

Good morning! Today I'm taking part in the August Inspiration Blog Hop with other designers at Gossamer Blue. The August kits were some of my favorites in awhile because they had a summer theme! Summertime is by far when we are outside doing all kinds of activities! The girls still like playing in a little pool on our deck although they are almost too big for it now. Nevertheless, they like to lounge around in it and relax! ;) A little different from their baby days where I was watching their every move in the pool.

My goal for this layout was to add a lot of color to match their new red swimsuits. 

One of my favorite embellishments to work with lately are frames and these kits had quite an assortment. I built a row of them (backed with patterned paper) and embellished with flair, brads and more. 

Thanks for stopping by today! Here's the rest of the gals blog-hopping with me:

Alex Hunter Anabelle O'Malley Andrea Gray Brenda Smith Brenda Weaver Diane Payne Emily Spahn Erin Taylor Eyoung Lee Felicitas Mayer France Wisniewski Heather Leopard Jill Cornell Jill Keller Kasia Przybyt Kathleen Graumuller Kellie Winnell Kelly Xenos Laura Rahel Crosby Michelle Wedertz Michiko Kato Olatz Garaiyurrebaso Patricia Roebuck Rebecca Luminarias Sian Fair Stephanie Buice Yana Smakula

August Gossamer Blue Kits!

Good morning! Today, I have a couple of layouts to share that showcase the August Gossamer Blue kits! I adore any summer themed products so I went a little crazy buying extra add-ons this month. I can't resist brightly colored papers and embellishments! For this layout, I was able to document a fishing adventure with grandpa from last summer.

The patterned paper stripes help out some pops of color and I love that little "splish splash" fish flair. 

Next, I already have the 4th of July on a layout! I chose some of my favorite photos from the parade this year and printed our family photo larger to help it stand out.

 I pieced together red and blue stripes and then added some great red and blue embellishments from the kits - frames, brads, enamel stars and dots and stickers.

Thanks for stopping by today!

July Gossamer Blue Kits

Good morning! Today I wanted to share a couple of my projects with the July Gossamer Blue kits. I had not yet scrapbooked any of the girls' soccer photos from last fall. The bright colors in this kit just screamed 'sports' to me so I chose some of my favorites of them playing.

 I loved the vellum circles in the main kit. An easy way to attach vellum? Just sew it on!

I cut the title "Play" out of a piece of alphabet themed paper in Shimelle's new collection from American Crafts. 

 

I had also not yet put last year's 4th of July parade on a layout yet so I chose out elements of red, white and blue. I punched a few stars from patterned paper and then used 'puffy' stars here and there. 

I loved the "July" exclusive wooden veneer embellishment - perfect for my title! 

Lots of simple and effective embellishments - this one was easy to put together!

And on that note - have a Happy 4th of July! :)

June Gossamer Blue Inspiration Blog Hop

Good morning! Today, I'm hopping along with the design team from Gossamer Blue and we're sharing some inspiration with the June kits. This was my favorite page I made with the kits featuring Miss Lily turning 6. I've become a lot more intentional about the pages I'm adding to our albums. Years and years of trying to come up with layouts for assignments has changed my perspective greatly. I've been adding pages outlining more milestones and a few events and then trying to capture more of our everyday life by creating Life Pages on a monthly basis. I'm about 6 months in and this is working really well for me and my family.

This page is all about minimal layering. I loved the colors so much! So bright and fun for a birthday page! I love creating these pages each year. 

I love that Amy Tangerine chipboard frame - perfect for capturing a favorite sheet of patterned paper with a few embellishments. 

And here's the rest of the team participating...it's our last blog hop for the current term!
 

Amy Yingling

Anabelle O'Malley

Beshka Kueser
Brenda Weaver
Caylee Grey
Cindy Liebel
Emily Spahn
Eunyoung Lee

Diane Payne
Heather Leopard
***Jill Cornell***
Jill Keller

Katie Ehmann
Laura Crosby

Mel Blackburn
Mish Wooderson 

Michiko Kato
Sabrina Alery
Yana Smakula

Gossamer Blue Inspiration Blog Hop!

Today, I'm hopping along with the design team from Gossamer Blue and we're sharing some inspiration with the April kits. I usually only scrap about my family but this month I was really inspired by the wood veneer embroidery hoops that were included in an add-on kit. 

I love to embroider myself (and really need to take it up again!) but for this layout I wanted to document a set of pillowcases my grandma made when I got married. She was one of the people who taught me how to embroider so it was important for me to create a layout about these pretty heirloom pieces.

 

I kept the circles in mind as I continued my design with several other circle die-cuts and embellishments in the kits.

I absolutely loved the mix and match chipboard alphabet set from Crate Paper in the kit!

To hop along with us, here is a list of all our participants this month! Remember you can always reference the Gossamer Blue blog for a full list of participants! 

Beshka Kueser
Brenda Weaver
Caylee Grey
Cindy Liebel
Diane Payne
Emily Spahn
Eunyoung Lee
Heather Leopard
Jessica Lohof
***Jill Cornell***
Jill Keller
Kasia PrzbytKatie Ehmann
Laura Crosby
Magda MizeraMel Blackburn
Mish WoodersonMichiko Kato
Rebecca Luminarias
Sabrina Alery
Yana Smakula

What I'm Reading: February

Welcome to What I'm Reading - the February edition. February was a very cold month so I spent a lot of it curled up with a book. Let's dig in....

1) Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - This was my second book by Rowell. It was a quick, fun read with a cute love story. I enjoyed the email format woven throughout the book.

2) The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh - This was one of the best books I have read in a very long time. It was a heartbreaking look into the foster care system and went back and forth between the past and present day. I would highly recommend this one!

3) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - Do you sense a theme here? I actually didn't care for this one at all but again I have this weird thing where I have to finish a book. The story ended abruptly and I didn't like the fanfiction sections - I just skimmed over them. 

4) Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - This was a blend of historical and modern day fiction and was a really great read. I even cried at the end if that tells you anything. 

5) Daring Greatly by Brene Brown - This one took me all month to read for the Lemon Dropper book club. It was very heavy so I had to read a little bit, take notes and then put it down for a while so I could process it. I usually focus on spiritual books if I'm going to read anything outside of fiction. But I would highly recommend this one - it gave me a new perspective on being vulnerable and facing my fears. 
 

Thanks for stopping by! I can't wait to share my March reads with you all! :)

Gossamer Blue: January Life Pages

Happy Monday! So I've decided to get all crazy and do a little Project Life. Because doing something weekly stresses me out, I've decided to take a monthly approach with it. I want to get those photos and moments off my phone and recorded. Gossamer Blue has so many gorgeous Life Pages cards and embellishments that I am excited about taking a new approach to memory keeping. For this spread, I used the February kits from Gossamer Blue.

Here is a close up of page 1 - page protectors are from Simple Stories. Just everyday moments captured here - my dad had surgery, I cleaned up my scrap room, a gorgeous sunset, the books I read in January, big business news and hot chocolate for 4!
 

On page 2, we started back into homeschooling after Christmas break, snuggling with cousin Hayden, sledding with dad, grandpa Allan spent the night, science experiments at Clover Kids and I celebrated my birthday! 

My approach is simple - focus on the photos, add labels for journaling to help tell the story and keep embellishments minimal. 

I'm excited to get to work on February using the March kits from Gossamer Blue!

What I'm Reading: January

There's nothing quite like snuggling up with a book. I've always been a reader and usually devour each book I read. I've decided to start a new blog series and share the books I have read each month. I like hearing recommendations from other bloggers and maybe you will find one you would to read. I'm also devoting myself to picking up these books at the library. I'm trying to cut the clutter and books seem to not have a good resale value. And if I keep reading at the rate I am, I can't afford it! :)

1) Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - Here's my first book for the month and I could not put this one down. I read it in about two days. It was such a sweet story and yet heartbreaking at the same time. It dawned on me after reading this one that I used to read Rainbow Rowell's columns in the Omaha World Herald when I was in Chuck Offenburger's writing classes at BVU.  

2) Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - I loved the format of storytelling in this one - very quirky and fun. But this one ended up being about a very serious subject - the climax and resolution had twists I didn't see coming.

3) Wonder by R.J. Palacio - This was another YA novel and the story was heartbreaking as well as it focused on bullying and the courage of one young man. Definitely worth a read!

4) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand -  The whole time I was reading this book I could not stop thinking, "I can't believe this is real." The story was so crazy that it was hard to believe it was true. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the movie.

5) The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - This was another quick, funny read and I absolutely adored this unexpected love story! I can't wait to read the sequel! 

I'll be back next month with what I read in February. 

Gossamer Blue: Happy 2014

Hello there! Just trying to get caught up on sharing some Gossamer Blue projects. This one is using the January kits and highlights our little New Year's Eve celebration last year. (We ended up not really doing anything this year so I'm happy I got it documented!)

I love that little exclusive piece of wood veneer that say "Happy New Year!" And those vinyl bows are such a fun embellishment!

Love the gold Thickers as well - the "happy" came just like that! 

Thanks for stopping by today! :)