Gossamer Blue: Before & After

Good morning! This is such a crazy week for us - starting homeschooling, AWANA and tonight the girls are trying soccer for the first time! Along with all that is a benefit and silent auction for my 2-year-old nephew this weekend. 

Today I have another layout to share with you (using the September Gossamer Blue kits) of my girls recent hair cuts and "make-overs" - ha! I can't believe how grown up they look with their new 'do's! Anyway, I had fun putting this layout together.

I love the gold in the kits - that scalloped glitter tape and gold alphabet - just gorgeous! 

I wanted to carry on the "split" theme I had going here so I used two pages out of the 6x6 paper pad in the Bits & Pieces kit to split up the page.

Thanks for stopping by today! :)

Gossamer Blue: She's 5

Good morning! It's an exciting day at the Cornell household as we start homeschool kindergarten! While we are busy getting down a routine and starting all the fun, I wanted to share one of my layouts using the September main kit from Gossamer Blue. I added just a tiny bit of purple cardstock to this one to draw balance out the purple napkin in the photos. We had a Frozen themed birthday party for the girls this year.

I love all the gold accents in the kit this month - the stars, the polka dot paper and the stickers are amazing!

The ribbon sticker from Crate Paper is a perfect place to highlight a special number!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Gossamer Blue: Preschool Field Trip

Happy Friday! I have one more layout to share with you using the August kits from Gossamer Blue! This month’s kits included a school themed add-on  that inspired me to create some more pages of my daughters’ preschool year. They visited a local grocery store as part of learning more about their neighborhood and had some “behind-the-scenes” experiences there. It was a fun trip!

At the top of the first page, I put two of the Teresa Collins tags together on their sides. In the center, I embellished with an exclusive “hello” cork.

I enlarged a main photo of the kids inside the store to about 5×7 and then backed it with two pieces of the Heidi Swapp paper pad in the Bits & Pieces kit. I had fun cutting out my title with my Silhouette Cameo and mixed and matched fonts.

On the second page, I used more of the Heidi Swapp paper pad. I didn’t trim the white strip from the top and simply placed a brad in the hole at the top of the page for more embellishment.

Finally, I lined up three more Teresa Collins tags on the bottom of the second page. The alphabet tag was perfect for a school layout. I also covered up one of the tags with an exclusive Life Pages card – the notebook paper card kept in the school theme so I include more journaling.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoy your long weekend! :)

35 Items I No Longer Buy Since Using Essential Oils!

Recently I wrote about my love of essential oils and how they have changed the health of my family dramatically! From allergies to asthma to anxiety to headaches/migraines to colds and flu, we use oils for just about everything in our house.

 
I do get a lot of questions about what essential oils cost and while it is a little bit of an investment in the beginning, I thought it would awesome to point out the products I no longer buy because I am using essential oils in my household. No matter what the issue, I always recommend Young Living's premium starter kit. It's the best way to get the biggest bang for your buck, so to speak. You get 11 different oils plus a home diffuser and it's the greatest way to try out a variety of oils. When I first got my kit, I didn't think I would be using all of the oils in it but I found out quickly I was wrong! I have used up every single oil and then some! ;)

So let's get right onto that list of what I no longer buy, shall we?

• Acne remedies
• Insect bite remedies
• Allergy meds
• Sleep meds
• Some skin care - cleansers and moisturizers
• Antacids
• Antibiotic ointment
• Cold meds
• Cough meds
• Fabric softeners
• Bug spray/repellant
• Scented candles
• Body scrubs
• Sunburn reliever
• Sports pain cream
• Sore throat spray
• Cough drops
• Perfume
• Pain relievers
• Anxiety meds
• Scented lotions
• Fever reducers
• Goo-Gone type products
• Coffee/energy drinks
• Bathroom cleaner
• Disinfecting wipes
• Air freshener
• Hand soap
• Anti-nausea meds
• Motion sickness meds
• Diarrhea meds
• Constipation meds
• PMS meds
• Floor cleaner
• Disinfecting spray 

Folks, we are saving a significant amount of money here! It's actually been a money saver for us instead of the other way around. Also, our prescriptions and doctor co-pays have significantly been reduced because we are being more preventative with how we handle health issues. That being said, we will definitely go to the doctor if it is needed but our natural alternatives have already made a difference for us. You know what else I find exciting? Young Living essential oils are not just available in the United States - they are available ALL OVER THE WORLD. I know I have a lot of international friends that stop by to read here every now and then so I would love to help you get started too!

How to get your hands on the Premium Starter Kit:

1. Click over to the sign-up page: https://www.youngliving.com/signup/?site=US&sponsorid=1581200&enrollerid=1581200

2. Select “Sign Up As: Young Living Wholesale Member” (this secures you the 24% off discount on all future orders).

3. The “Enroller ID” and “Sponsor ID” boxes should already be filled in for you.  If they aren’t, fill in 1581200 in both spots.

4. Fill out your name, billing address, shipping address, and contact info. (The reason you are asked for your SSN is for tax purposes; if you make over $600/year selling Young Living products, you will receive a 1099 form in the mail, as is required by law. Young Living never shares this info with anyone, and you’re not obligated to sell anything EVER).

5. Create your password and pin which you will use to log in to your account and order your oils (and make sure you keep that information handy!)

6. Select your enrollment order. This is where you can specify which starter kit you would like. I recommend either the Premium Starter Kit with the home diffuser for $150 or the Premium Starter Kit with the Aroma Diffuser, which is $160. 

7. It will ask if you want to sign up for the Essential Rewards program. I recommend saying no to this for now - there are some great benefits but we can chat about these later! :)

8. Agree to Terms & Conditions.

9. Be sure to CONFIRM YOUR ORDER. Some folks miss this step and end up not fully checking out. To confirm, the tool will log you in and it will show you your order again and it will make you enter in your payment information again.

10. Wait and be excited! :)

Gossamer Blue: Sno Cone Love

Good morning! Today I have another layout to share using the August kits from Gossamer Blue. My kids love their summer sno cone treats so I created this layout showcasing the fun! I used a white background because I wanted the bright colors to pop.

The pieces behind each photo are actually vellum from Webster's Pages. Love the color and patterns of their new vellum! The transparent circle is from Basic Grey. 

For the title I wanted to add some texture so I used my Cameo to cut it out of white cardstock for a tone-on-tone effect and then I outlined it with a black pen. 

Thanks for stopping by today! :)

Gossamer Blue: Future Firefighters

This month, there were a lot of great elements in the August Gossamer Blue kits that translated well to layouts about school! And considering I didn't have a chance to scrapbook most of the girls' preschool year last year, I took advantage of that! Last fall, the local fire department visited and the kids all enjoyed the time to learn more about fire safety.

I love using stars for school pages and the kits had vellum stars from Heidi Swapp and wood veneer stars from Studio Calico. I used my Cameo to cut out "firefighters". 

I had individual photos of the girls in the firetruck so I sized them very small (about 2x3) and then labeled them with stickers and die-cuts.

Thanks for stopping by today! :)

Gossamer Blue: 11 Years

Good morning! Today I have my first layout to share using the August main kit from Gossamer Blue! By the way, I'm very excited to continue on with the Gossamer Blue team again for another year. As you may have noticed I have cut way back on assignments but being on the Gossamer Blue team has worked really well for me and I LOVE Lori's kits. And I'm very excited for the direction she's taking the company - new collections plus her awesome kits! 

For my first layout this month, I created a page for our anniversary album. I loved all of the Webster's Pages and Teresa Collins in the kits this month.

My design was very simple and I cut the title out with my Cameo.

The numbers were perfect to add to this layout - they are part of the exclusive printables this month! And I really love the exclusive cork pieces - a lot of fun options! :)

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Gossamer Blue: His Girls

Good morning! Today I want to share my favorite layout I made this month with the July Gossamer Blue kits. We always take photos on Mother's Day and Father's Day and I just love this one we captured of daddy and his girls. It's no secret that Glen is Nora & Lily's favorite person. They always have fun together and I guess that just makes me the mean one. Ha! ;) I love how he knows to make them laugh and joke around - such a beautiful relationship to witness!

For this layout, I wanted to add a lot of texture so I used the exclusive background cut file and then layered my cardstock over one of the exclusive patterned papers. 

I wanted there to be more of an emphasis on the title so I painted over the background with white paint so the navy title would stand out more.

Thanks for stopping by today! :)

Gossamer Blue: Watch Us Grow

Good morning! Today I have another layout to share with the July Gossamer Blue kits. I loved the exclusive alphabet paper in the kit this month and was inspired to create a layout highlighting both the first and last days of preschool. The girls grew so much over the preschool year. They are more like little girls and less toddler like every day!

I layered several patterned paper strips and tucked in a few transparent pieces. 

Lots of great labels and stickers included in the kits this month!

Have a great day! A lot of exciting news coming from Gossamer Blue next week - can't wait to share more! :)

Gossamer Blue: Road Trip Selfie

Good morning! I have meant to share this layout earlier but it's been a crazy two weeks. Today I have a layout to share that I created using only the July main kit from Gossamer Blue. Very sweet and simple and highlights a photo of us on our longest road trip yet with kids - 7 hours! :) More power to those of you who go further than that with your kiddos!

I really love the mix and match alphabet from Crate Paper in the kit this month. 

I pieced together some of my favorite patterned papers in the kit and then added some circular embellishments.

Thanks for stopping by today! :)

Webster's Pages: Happy 5th Birthday

Good morning! Today I have a layout to share that features the "Sweet Routine" collection by Adrienne Looman for Webster's Pages. The girls had a Frozen themed birthday party this year (which I still need to blog) so we had a fun color scheme of pink, purple and blue. This collection fit the colors we used perfectly!

 

I cut out the doily using Wow! glitter paper and my Cameo. This collection has a lot of great circular elements so I cut out a few of them to use in various places on my layout.

The newest collection also include chipboard elements and I love the dimension they provide on my projects.

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Gossamer Blue: Farm Adventure

Good morning! I have one last layout to share with you today featuring the June Gossamer Blue kits. One of our favorite summer activities is going to the Iowa State Fair, and we especially love the “Little Hands on the Farm” exhibit. I chose 10 of my favorite photos and highlighted them on this layout. I was able to size four of the photos to nearly 4×6 and the remaining six photos are 2×3.

 

This layout has minimal patterned paper as I used a few of the Life Pages cards for journaling and for placement of a couple of the photos. 

I love the wood veneer pieces from Chic Tags! They add a lot of texture without the bulk.

Finally, I also cut apart one of the striped Life Pages cards to go along the bottom of the layout. Don’t be afraid to use something for a reason other than what it was intended!

And here are my sneak peeks for the Gossamer Blue July kits!

Thanks for stopping by today! :)

Gossamer Blue: So Happy

Good morning! We just got back home after a fun family reunion in Springfield, Missouri so today I'm catching up on a lot of things - laundry, blogging and getting ready for next essential oils class this week focusing on oils for children, babies and pregnancy!

Today's layout features the June Gossamer Blue kits. I wanted to scrapbook this photo of the girls and me on Mother's Day so I pulled out the coral and teal elements from the kits and accented with gold.

This month, there are a lot of great circle embellishments - flair, enamel dots, jewels, etc. so I made a circle background with my Cameo and then embellished each circle accordingly.

I had a lot of fun putting together this layout and mixing and matching fun patterns!

Thanks for stopping by today! I 'll be back soon to share my two-page layout with you this month.

Gossamer Blue: Cubbies Graduates

Happy Friday! Today I have a new layout to share with you using the June Gossamer Blue kits. Every Wednesday night during the regular school year, you will find us at our AWANA program at church. The past two years the girls were Cubbies so they were with other 3 and 4 year olds learning simple Bible verses and stories about Jesus. It's a wonderful program and I love helping the girls memorize verses. Next year, we are onto Sparks!

This month's kits had a lot of travel themed elements but I made them work for regular, everyday stuff too. I liked this world background paper from Jillibean Soup and thought it fit the "graduation" theme I had going well.

I cut out the word "Graduates" from my Cameo. A few things here are Gossamer Blue exclusives - the vellum card and the days of the week card.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great weekend!

Stitch Fix Review #9

Hello! It's been quite a while since I have had a Stitch Fix so I was excited to get one this month. I was very blessed to win a Mother's Day contest from Stitch Fix so I had a gift card to spend. I asked for the usual lace, polka dots, florals, etc. and I was hoping to see a lot of casual pieces I could wear this summer. I wanted to try on a maxi dress and skirt because I don't have either. Maggie was my stylist again this month. My items ranged in price from $44-$68.

Here are my reviews for previous fixes: Stitch Fix Review #1, Stitch Fix Review #2, Stitch Fix Review #3, Stitch Fix Review #4, Stitch Fix Review #5, Stitch Fix Review #6, Stitch Fix Review #7, Stitch Fix Review #8.


Here is what I received:

1) Promesa Alexandriea Mixed Stripe Maxi Skirt - I asked for a maxi skirt and I must be pretty tall because I felt like the skirt was a little on the short side for a maxi. I'm not really a fan of the light blue/grey color combination as pastels usually seem to wash me out. I'm more of a jewel tone girl. I do like the fun stripe pattern. 

2) Pomelo Cherise Cotton Tab Sleeve Henley Shirt - Maggie suggested I pair the skirt with this grey henley shirt. It was a very comfortable shirt but again - not a fan of light grey. And in Iowa, it would definitely be too hot to wear this during the summer.

 

3) Papermoon Nellie Daisey Print Top -  This was a cute top - the vintage floral pattern was very pretty! But I wasn't crazy about the racer back. The top needed a cami underneath and I don't have much to go underneath racer back tops.

 

4) Mystree Brad Striped Jersey Maxi Dress - This was the most expensive piece in my fix. I liked the stripes and the style of this one a lot! But I felt like the grey washed me out again and the top was very clingy. I still want to find a maxi dress but this one just wasn't it!

5) Mystree Abigail Colorblock Lace Trim Top - I immediately fell in love with the jewel tone blue and the black lace trim at the top of the blouse! The back of the shirt is black and it definitely needs a cami underneath.

I ended up keeping the blue lace trim blouse! Overall, I was slightly disappointed with the pastels in this fix (especially because I have it noted in my profile not to send me pastels). But, if I can find one thing I really like I consider it a successful fix! I'm not sure if I will schedule another fix this summer or wait until fall. I still have some of my gift card left so we shall see! Thanks for checking out my review!

Note: This post is not sponsored by Stitch Fix. I used my own money for the styling fee/items. But, I do earn a referral credit if you sign up via my referral link.

Gossamer Blue: City Market

Good morning! Today I have a layout to share using the June Gossamer Blue main kit. This month's kits have a lot of travel themed products in them but since we rarely go anywhere I used them to document some "stay-cation" moments. One of our favorite summer activities is to go to the local farmer's market so I documented the final time we went to the market last September.

The cityscape background paper is a favorite design from Basic Grey. Such a neat way to highlight photos!

The wood veneer is from Chic Tags and I cut out quite a few of the exclusive printables for this layout.

Thanks for stopping by today! :)