Splash into Summer!

Happy Thursday, friends! I have another two-page layout to share with you today using the fabulous "Salt Water Taffy" kit that continues my blog series this month. We recently took the girls swimming at a baby pool near my parent's home when back for a recent visit and took a bunch of fun pool pictures. I selected and used 10 photos on this layout in a couple different sizes - 4 x 6 and 2 x 3. (Click to see larger.)

I punched and cut a variety of circles...the "thermometer" patterned paper by Pink Paislee was perfect for a summer layout. 

On this layout, I designed everything and then realized I wasn't sure where I wanted to put my journaling. A couple of the open circles were the perfect spot!

The girls are doing much better. We've been enjoying a lot of indoor activities this week and getting lots of rest. Glen and I were able to go see Harry Potter yesterday and it was so good. I cried for most of the last half. :)

More soon! :)

What Fun to be a Princess!

Here's my layout as promised using the brand new "Salt Water Taffy" kit from Noel Mignon. It's fun and bright....the perfect summer kit and it's loaded with new product! I recently made the girls princess crowns and wands to play with...I'll share the actual projects in another post soon...and took some photos of them playing. They love Cinderella and Belle and we've been talking about being a princess. They are so cute with their little wands saying "Wish...wish." Ha! I love it! 

For this layout, I used a piece of My Mind's Eye patterned paper as a background. The little striped pieces are by Lily Bee. 

I love the Hambly washi tape in the kit and used that to highlight one of the main photos. 

The pink gingham half circle and flower were a happy accident. I had smudged the cardstock underneath and needed something to cover it up. 

Here's a look at the "Salt Water Taffy" kit" from Noel Mignon:

I'll be back in a couple days to share a two-page layout using the kit. Today, I'm celebrating my 8th anniversary with my best friend and husband. It's been a crazy 8 years but I love him more and more every day. I love watching him with our girls....they adore him and he adores them. Either today or tomorrow, we're going to sneak out and see the new Harry Potter movie. I can't wait! 

Back soon! :)

Update & Simple Summer Pleasures

Life sometimes has a way of throwing you a curve ball and that's exactly what happened to us over the past few days. Both of my girls were in the hospital after having severe asthma attacks that we couldn't control at home and Nora also has pneumonia. This literally came out of nowhere. We are all home now but have had a very stressful and sleepless time. The girls are on the mend and I was so thankful for a good night's sleep last night. We'll be spending the next few days at home recovering and staying out of the heat and humidity which can trigger asthma attacks. I was so thankful that my mom could help us out and we had great help from Glen's parents too. 

I'll try to share my new layout with the "Salt Water Taffy" kit tomorrow but in the meantime I wanted to share a layout I haven't shown you yet with the "Bee's Knees" kit. My girls love playing at the park so I highlighted several photos of a recent trip on this two-page layout. I used a combination of black and white and color photos. The photos I made black and white were less than ideal in color so this was an easy way to fix them. (Click to see larger). 

I LOVE the woodgrain transparency by Hambly.

That's all for now! I need to catch up on laundry and run an errand this morning. More soon! :)

Let's Party; Say Please, Not Cheese!

Happy Thursday! We have been enjoying our summer so much! Summertime with two toddlers has been a blast - lots of swimming and being outside! I can't wait to scrapbook our summer photos....especially the ones from the 4th of July. 

Today I have a new two-page layout to share for a weekly blog series I'm doing on the Noel Mignon blog. Today's layout uses the "Mary Ellen" kit to highlight some detail photos of the party decor I made for the girls' 2nd birthday. I printed most of the photos in wallet size so that I could fit quite a few across the two pages. One of the ways I try to make a two-page layout work for me is to enlarge the design elements. On this layout, I carried out the banners with the large pennant pieces on the left side and then on the bottom of one of the photos on the right page. (Click the photo to see it larger.)

I ran out of "T's" so I cut out the "T" from the chipboard frame to use instead. 

I love the little Maya Road star pins and stuck one out of a Girls' Paperie rosette. 

If two-page layouts intimidate you (like they often do for me), try simplifying your design and it might come together easier. Also, try an 8.5 x 11 two-page layout if filling 12 x 24 inches seems like too much!

I also have a "bonus" layout for you today using the "Bee's Knees" kit. My little Lily thinks we ask her to say "cheese" when we ask her to say "please." This photo is actually in the moment. It's just one of those little things I want to remember...her sweet, "cheesy" smile. I love the printed kraft cardstock from American Crafts. It adds just a subtle texture to a layout. 

I also LOVE the foldies from Sassafrass Lass in the kit. 

The Elle's Studio tags are perfect for housing part of my title. 

And here, I layered a Glitz sticker, GCD Studios and Cosmo Cricket patterned paper, Maya Road paper posies, My Mind's Eye twine and a Cosmo Cricket rhinestone. 

Finally, I have a sneak peek for you of a new layout with the August kit, "Salt Water Taffy." The kit goes up for sale tomorrow morning! I'll reveal my layout in full tomorrow on my blog.

See you tomorrow!

Lily's 1st Year

For their first year of life, I took a photo of my girls together and separately for each month. I used the beautiful "Bee's Knees" kit from Noel Mignon to create a page of just Lily's first year. Nora's page is already done and I have yet to do a layout of the two of them together but I think that one will have to be a two-pager. I printed my photos in black and white as the colors of their outfits changed from month-to-month and made them wallet size (2 x 3). I arranged them in a grid and then kept the embellishments to a minimum to keep the focus on the photos. 

I punched a circle from Sassafras patterned paper and layered it with a Basic Grey butterfly and Maya Road stick pin. 

I layered an Elle's Studio tag with a Glitz Design sticker and Basic Grey alphabet (from my stash). 

I didn't have all the Jenni Bowlin flags I needed for each month so i used some Jenni Bowlin banner pieces I had in my stash. The monthly flags are adhered with foam adhesive. 

Have a great 4th of July weekend (if I'm not back before then)! We're looking forward to a long weekend at my parent's where we get to relax!!!! :)

Special Mornings

Good morning! Another Pretty Little Studio layout for you today to highlight some cute photos of my girls with their grandparents. We are very blessed to have my husband's parents just a few minutes away so a couple mornings a week the girls get to play with them while I run errands and head to the gym. They all love this time together and it helps me out so much! 

Here's a list of the Pretty Little Studio supplies I used on this layout: Tea Party Lemon Slices Garland, April Showers Note Cards , Scalloped Tags, Half Circle Number Tags, Clover & Rosebed paper from April Showers Collection, Candles Lit Paper from Scrumdidlyumptious

More tomorrow! :)

New French Fry Fans

It's been a little while since I've shared some work for Pretty Little Studio so I'm going to do that over the next week or so. My layout today is part of a sketch challenge for this week where you can win a $5 gift certificate to the Pretty Little Studio shop. I used a lot of products from the new April Showers collection...click on the link above for a complete supply list. 

Another sweet moment captured in a simple layout and the bright colors were perfect for a layout about McDonald's french fries! :)

More soon!

So Happy to Be 4!

While I'm patiently waiting (ha!) for my "The Bees Knees" kit from Noel Mignon to arrive, I thought I would pull out a kit that still had a little oomph left to it..."Lemonade Stand." This photo was our first "formal" family portrait when the girls were 6 months old and I decided to pull out the green, black (and silver/gray) in the photo along with a little cream and pink. All of the patterned paper and the doily transparency was in the kit except for the black polka dot (Crate Paper Portrait) that came from Jump & Jive. (The transparency made this layout a little difficult to photograph.)

The peek of a green glitter frame was also in the kit (by Making Memories). I punched a butterfly and then added a button and stick pin from the "Delightfully Domestic" kit. 

And for my journaling cluster of embellishments, I used label stickers by October Afternoon that are in "Delightfully Domestic" while the flower came from "Jump & Jive" and the tape from "Lemonade Stand."

I love how Noel's kits are beautiful on their own but mix well together if you want them to! Here's a look at "The Bee's Knees"...hop on over to the store and pick one up....there's just a few left! 

More soon! 

We Believe

I pulled out my "Bedford Falls" kit from Noel Mignon this week to scrapbook our family photo from this past Christmas. It's a tradition for us to take a photo in front of our Christmas tree all dressed up in our Christmas best. We definitely celebrate with gifts, Santa, lots of food, giving and more but for our family Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus Christ. I tore out a sheet of vintage sheet music of one of my favorite Christmas carols "Joy to the World" as one of the layers for my layout. A little tip - check out vintage children's books at antique stores for Christmas images in books and music. I loved the rich green cardstock in the kit and used that for my background.

The Sassafras alphabet was in the "Sweet Sue" kit but because I've used up a lot of the letters, I was short on "E"'s. I pieced together a few "O"'s and made my own letter "E"'s. I strung a tiny jingle bell on twine for a holiday accent.

I removed the gold glitter leaves from a Making Memories frame in the kit and placed it behind the embellishment. Another little tip - I covered up a blue chair that was in the photograph with this cluster of embellishments. I couldn't crop it out of the photo and get all of us in the photo so I did a little creative placement instead.

For the stars, I created a tone-on-tone effect by using green mist and stars punched with a Fiskars punch. I decided to outline them with a white gel pen by American Crafts. 

We've been busy, busy, busy around here enjoying summer! Lots of swimming in our little pool, swinging and sliding, sidewalk chalk and cool treats! I love it (even with the extreme heat)! We're also gearing up for my sister's wedding in a couple weeks so that means mama is getting a little extra sun and sculpting my shoulders so I can wear a strapless dress. Ha! In addition to my normal gym routine, I'm trying out yoga and Ripped in 30 by Jillian Michaels. After yoga the other night, I slept SO well. I was so relaxed I felt like I had a massage. I really hope to increase my flexibility and strength through yoga as I have never been flexible in my back and hamstrings. I'm pushing myself pretty hard and feeling really good! 

More soon! :)

The Meaning of Easter

I've had a fantastic year on the GCD Studios team and want to thank Heidi and crew for such a great experience! I'll definitely keep creating with all the new collections as GCD put out some of my favorites yet! I'm also so thankful to have met such wonderful and talented ladies who have been with me on the team for the past year! 

Heidi asked the design team to create a spring-themed project. We definitely partake in fun Easter traditions at our house - baskets, pretty dresses, the Easter bunny and egg hunts - but it is more important for us to teach our girls about the meaning of Easter. We celebrate because of the gift of eternal life we have through Jesus. We found a fantastic book that shares our reason for celebrating and plan to read it every year. 

For this layout, I used the new Soul Food collection by Melody Ross along with embellishments from the Homespun Chic collection. 

I had to punch a "happy" little butterfly to dot the "i" in my title. 

I used one of the transparency frames from Homespun Chic to highlight the photo. 

Have a fabulous weekend! :)

My Heart is Full!

Oh, my heart! My husband captured this completely candid photo of me hugging my girls on Mother's Day this year. I love my two girls so much and I'm so thrilled that this moment is forever captured for all of us. The beautiful pinks, corals and yellows in Noel Mignon's "Mary Ellen" kit were perfect for the soft, delicate look I was going for to go along with the mood of the photo. 

I wasn't too sure about the "foldies" by Sassafras Lass but after using them on this layout, I'm SOLD! What a great way to add dimension and color to a layout! 

I'm sorry my blogging has slowed down a bit. I actually have been a little busy creating but have been holding back a few projects for submission. I'm also enjoying being "in the moment" with my girls and spending time with them outside in our beautiful weather! This afternoon, I'm off with my hubby to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie for his birthday! Whoohoo...a date! 

Have a good one! :)