Midnight Rooster July Kit!

The Midnight Rooster July kit goes live today so that means it's time for me to share my work with this month's kit. I was able to work with the add-on kit again this month and I LOVED it just as much as the main! 

For this first layout, I used the large banner stamp in the main kit to create a banner using two colors of patterned paper. I used the Pink Paislee patterned paper as my base and spritzed a little Bed of Roses Shimmerz in a couple places. 

I used both of the alphabets in the main and add-on for the title.

Here's a close-up of the banner. I used foam adhesive for extra dimension.

I created the flower by using a Jillibean Soup journaling spot in the main kit, white fabric flower in the main and removed the pin from the blue flower in the add-on kit. The button is a Midnight Rooster exclusive! 

The photos in my next layout have a special place in my heart because it's my father-in-law with Lily. He has a special nickname for her (Darlin' Lil') that makes up the title of this layout. 

I used the fabric swatch in the main kit as patterned paper in this layout. 

This embellishment was made by layering an October Afternoon sticker, Jillibean Soup journaling spot and Jenni Bowlin butterfly. 

I scrapped some more Florida photos in this next layout. I used the October Afternoon map patterned paper as borders on the top and bottom of my layout. 

The Collage Press patterned paper had very cool designs in it so I cut a chunk of it out to use as grounding for part of my title. I used an October Afternoon label sticker to back the other part of my title.

The vintage orange juice cap in the main kit was perfect for a layout about Florida and added a great burst of color. 

The chipboard clouds are Cosmo Cricket and included in the main kit. And here's another Midnight Rooster exclusive button. 

I used the small banner stamp in the main kit as a border along the bottom and some orange My Mind's Eye rhinestones from my stash. 

And finally, here's a card I created using the stamp in the add-on kit. The multi-colored paper was actually cut off the bottom of a piece of Sassafras Lass patterned paper. The rub-on, rhinestones and twine are all from my stash. 

And there you have it! I might have another project to share with this kit later in the month. Have a great weekend...we have family visiting again and I might try to sneak away to CKC Des Moines later today or tomorrow! :)

Noel Mignon Challenge: Independence & Paper Rolling

I created this layout for the Independence Challenge that started this week over on the challenge blog and have a couple tips and techniques to share with you today. I'm going to turn 30 in January (yikes!) so I thought over the past decade of my life and jotted down a list of things that truly showed me gaining independence. I'm excited to see what my 30s will bring and it's amazing how much I accomplished and struggled during my 20s. I used the bright, fun Sun-Kissed kit to create this layout:

I placed the Jenni Bowlin butterfly rub-on on vellum and cut it out. I love the look this gives the butterfly as it allowed it to somewhat "flutter" off the page. :)

Here's a look at part of my title...the Cosmo Cricket chipboard alphabet was from my stash but the journaling block and flower are both in the kit.

I used a Maya Road kraft envelope to hide my journaling and dressed it up a little with a glittered flower, button and twine.

Here's a look at my journaling using one of the Echo Park journaling blocks...

And here's a tutorial for you on rolling patterned paper...First, I selected four different papers to work with. I wanted them to have some pattern to them but not have a lot of extra color. In my particular design, I wanted them to basically be monochromatic.

I cut the paper to 2" squares and cut 3 squares from each paper.

Next, I started rolling the paper from one end. You could always roll around something but I just used my fingers to work with the paper.

At the edge of my paper roll, I placed three glue dots to hold the paper in place.

Here's what one roll looks like....

And here's my finished embellishment on my layout. I adhered them to the page with glue dots and wrapped a ribbon around them to help tie them together. 

That's it! A fairly simple technique to give some extra dimension and color. I think these would also be cute as birthday candles on a birthday layout. 

I'll be back tomorrow with some new layouts to share! :)

GCD Studios Giveaway!

This week, we have one BIG give aways for our FUN News Letter!

Heidi and Heather in house just finished our July issue and it's ready to mail! We are so excited about it, because it's our best issue yet!

Here's how it works:

1)Sign up for the news letter here....Inthestudio@gcdstudois.com 

2)Then Leave a comment here over at the GCD Studios Blog. (look for the post that says GIVE AWAY+ HAPPY 4th)

In the News letter you'll see the prize :)

Then on July 12th... Heidi will pick the winner!

And the newsletter has sneak peeks of our new Christmas collections!!!!!

GCD Studios Technique:: Creating a Distressed Frame

Today, I'm going to share a technique on how to create a distressed frame for your layout. I love, love, love the shabby chic look and this is a great way to create it on your projects!

First, gather up your supplies. I chose brown and pink paint and this crackle medium by Plaid, foam brushes and an old lid to hold my paint. (I'll show you this technique on a smaller piece of chipboard but I actually did this to an entire chipboard frame.) Next, put a light coat of brown paint on the chipboard.

After allowing this to completely dry, paint a somewhat thick coat of crackle medium on the chipboard. The medium MUST be completely dry before the next step. (You can speed this step by using a heat gun).

Next, paint a coat of pink paint over the top of the crackle medium. Do NOT go over your brush strokes more than once. As the paint dries, you will notice cracks start to appear.

Finally, you can distress your frame even further by sanding some of the paint off and using distress ink. I also machine stitched around my frame.

Here's the layout I used the frame on using patterned paper from the Lydia, Smoothie Shop and Chic Bebe collections by GCD Studios:

Here's a close-up of my title that I outlined to help pop off the page.

And here's another little tip...I used my Martha Stewart punch to punch circles out of the plastic gift bags in the Homespun Chic collection. The glitter brads are also part of the collection.

Happy distressing! :)

Jill

Bathing Beauties

I am absolutely in love with the "On Holiday" collection by The Girls' Paperie and used it to capture a moment of our every day life around here - bath time! The collection itself is more of a travel line but I love how versatile it is when used for other purposes! 

Here's a look at my title using chipboard letters by The Girls' Paperie.

I used my Martha Stewart starburst punch on elements of the patterned paper I loved and then accented several of them with rhinestones and used foam adhesive on others for dimension.

And then I tried something different from my usual "go-to" design elements and tore some of the paper I used as my base. I backed it with coordinating paper, used a circle sticker from October Afternoon and another starburst circle. The circle hangs out of the page protector somewhat but I really love how it turned out. 

I started working out again yesterday and felt so good afterwards. It's amazing how much I used to crave exercise...I never thought I would be someone who felt that way! :) We're busy, busy, busy around here preparing for family coming to visit and then getting ready to go out of town ourselves for my hometown's July 4th festivities. It will be a tiring weekend for sure but I think we'll have some down time one we get home. Tonight, we're going to see Eclipse!!!!! I am way excited as I adored this book so much! 

Have a great day! :)

What a week!

I have had a crazy week but more on that in a minute. I have a new layout to share for the white space challenge at the Noel Mignon Challenge Blog using the Sun-Kissed kit. We recently had some family photos taken by Justin Meyer (who does FABULOUS work) and he captured these of Glen with Lily. I kept my layout design fairly simple...for some reason, "white space" makes me think simple so I kept my embellishments and everything to a minimum. 

Here's a close-up of my layered flower....

And a close-up of the smaller photo and title....

This past week has been a very humbling experience for me. Last Sunday morning, I was getting ready to hop in the shower and barely bent over and started having shooting pain down my low back and legs. I was immediately immobile and tried to tough it out with Advil, ice and heat but by 11 p.m. that night, I could barely walk and was shaking so badly from the pain. I had called my mom earlier in the day to say that I might need some help taking care of my girls because I couldn't lift them so luckily she and my sister were both here so my husband could take me to the ER. I was given a great "cocktail" of pain medication and sent home with a diagnosis of sciatica. 

I spent the better part of last week resting and taking care of myself. I couldn't sit without significant pain so I spent a lot of time in bed. I went to the chiropractor every day and that helped me so much. And by yesterday, I finally started feeling like myself again and am no longer hobbling around my house like an 80-year-old woman! My week helped us make some decisions regarding my ability to exercise and I found a fabulous deal on a membership at a new gym. I have had pretty chronic issues with my back but if I take the time to work out and keep my back and neck strong, I don't have pain like I did last week creep up on me. We decided better to fork out the gym membership fees and make exercise a priority than have to spend lots of $$$ on doctor bills. We were fortunate my mom and sister are teachers so they could stay through Thursday to help me out since school is out for the summer. 

Anyway, to make a long story short I am playing major catch up this week on housework and scrapbooking projects and assignments so I might not have too much to share until later in the week. Have a fabulous Monday! 

She is Lily Kathryn ~Up the Street June Kit~

Today, I've got my final Up the Street June kit project to share with you. Thank you so much, Tara, for letting me guest design for you. I LOVED working with your kit - it was the perfect mix of patterned papers and embellishments and I loved having so many alphabet sets to choose from!

I recently created a layout about Nora's name and this time it was Lily's turn. The patterned papers are Webster's Pages, Prima and Basic Grey. 

For part of the title, I used the wood veneer again and put my alphabet stickers right over it and machine stitched across the letters. I put foam adhesive under the veneer and then placed stick pins into the foam. 

The larger alphabet is Pink Paislee. I needed another "L" so I got creative piecing the letters together. The sequin and organza trim is Prima that I cut off the bottom of the stitched paper that was in the add-on kit. 

Here's another look at my title....

I have a busy weekend ahead full of family, celebrating my wonderful husband on Father's Day as well as my own dad and father-in-law and hopefully some creating!

Have a great weekend! :)

St. Pete Beach ~ Up the Street June Kit~

I have another layout to share today using Up the Street's June kit. This kit was perfect for beach photos! Almost all of the patterned paper is The Girls' Paperie "On Holiday" collection minus the brown and cream I used on the sun by Webster's Pages. These are photos from our trip to Florida two years ago and my, do I miss the beach!!!!

The add-on kit that is now sold out how the coolest birch wood veneer in it by Creative Imaginations. It's thin enough that I actually used my Circut to cut out the sun and then sprayed it with yellow Shimmerz. I cut and punched various sizes of circles and layered them with a Basic Grey brad. 

I also punched circles with my Martha Stewart starburst punch, cut them in half and then used them along the photos on the bottom of my layout.

Here's a look at my journaling, part of the title and a little paper collage at the top of the layout. 

That's all for today. We did sneak in a dinner date last night that was fantastic (left-overs for lunch today, yum!) 

Have a good one! :)

Up the Street June kit: Part 2

Here are a couple more projects using Up the Street's June kit. This layout is primarily the "On Holiday" collection by The Girls' Paperie. I had to document a momentous occasion at our house - when the girls got their big girl car seats. (And what a difference they make!) 

I loved the Webster's Pages alphabet that was included in the kit as it gave 4 different options to work with. (I think I need to pick up more of these alphabet stickers). I punched a couple circles using my Martha Stewart starburst punch and used foam adhesive to pop them off two other circles I punched.

I cut the banner from the patterned paper and then used foam adhesive underneath. I adhered the Maya Road trim over the top. 

For this card, I used Jillibean Soup cardstock as the base, the "B" side of Prima patterned paper, a Prima flower and center from the add-on kit and part of the ZVA crystal flourish. The Melissa Frances rub-on was from my stash.

Here's another look at my card...

Have a great day! Still super busy but I think we might sneak in a date tonight! :)

Nora & Lily's Castle

I'm really excited about sharing this project with you today because it was something I've had in the works for a few months now. I haven't done too much decorating in the girls' room yet and wanted to come up with something cute they could have as decor for the next several years. I found a wooden castle at Hobby Lobby but didn't like how it was painted and decorated. At 50% off, I decided to buy it and alter it how I wanted it. I fell in the love with the Paper Girl line by The Girls' Paperie when it came out at Winter CHA so I decided to use it on my castle.

I loved the chipboard alphabet as part of Paper Girl so I used that on the top turret with a few Melissa Frances pearls. 

I used German glass glitter on all the castle flags and the heart and sealed it with Diamond Glaze so no shards of glass would escape. Every line on the castle was outlines with silver Stickles. 

I used one of the rose die-cuts on the heart.

The frames are die-cuts and I accented them with Melissa Frances pearls and adhered with foam adhesive for extra dimension.

When I was finished with this project, I showed it to my girls and they were so excited. Lily pointed right at her picture and giggled....so sweet! I think I spent about 3-4 hours on this project one evening so it really didn't take too long to come together. 

And finally, I wanted to remind you I have a kit for sale featured at The Scrappy Gourmet this month. "Our Everyday Life" mini album and layout kit has full supplies, instructions and photos for creating this mini album about your everyday life and a bonus layout. It's a concept that ANYONE can do! 

Have a great day! :)

Up the Street June kit

This month I had the honor of guest designing with Up the Street's June kit. I adored the contrast of soft and bold colors of this kit and had fun creating projects that highlighted both. The main kit itself is just gorgeous and I worked with the add-on as well because it had several products that I wanted to try. (The add-on is now sold out.) 

For this first layout, I got caught up on our anniversary album. I used Core'dinations cardstock and The Girls' Paperie patterned paper. I cut a section of lace from the Hambly transparency and brought out the gold further by painting the center of the Pink Paislee frame. The chipboard "6" is also Pink Paislee and the alphabet stickers are by Webster's Pages. I also used Prima flowers and leaves. 

Here's a closer look at my title. I love all the texture in that Pink Paislee frame. This was a rather simple layout for me but I love how it looks so detailed by the different patterns. 

Here's a card I created to send some encouragement to a friend. I used the Core'dinations cardstock again and cut the banner from patterned paper by The Girls' Paperie. I turned the banner into a sun and used mini alphabet stickers by Jenni Bowlin for the sentiment. The little red sequins are Prima flower centers. 

I have quite a few other projects to share with you this week using this kit so check back for more! We had a great weekend with a spontaneous trip back home for a family reunion. It was great to see family we only see about once a year or so. I have another full week of creating ahead of me which I am looking forward to!

Have a great day! :)