American Crafts Design Team Blog Hop!

Hello and welcome to the American Crafts 2013-2014 Design Team Blog Hop! The purpose of this hop is to get to know each of our new team members on a more personal and up-close level! 

Everyone on the team is sharing a layout all about themselves and here is my layout. I used the brand new Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party collection mixed with some older 5th & Frolic collection for my layout all about me! This has been somewhat of a rough year for me so I focused my journaling on how I have changed and what I have learned this year.

Of course, one of my favorite roles in life is that of mom so I had to include a little photo of that. I love the frame patterned paper in the collection. I cut out a bunch of frames and then placed pretty patterned papers inside that I cut to fit. Most of the papers are from the 6x6 paper pad. 

I am so loving the Amy Tangerine stitching templates. This one is not one of the new ones but I couldn't resist stitching a little heart. 

I also love the new square frames in this collection and I layered some patterned paper labels inside so I could add my title and journaling. 

The bird stickers are from 5th & Frolic and the paper clip is a My Girl embellishment. I love that I can mix older collections in with the new. 

And now for my giveaway...

 
I have a fun assortment of some American Crafts products that I will send out to one lucky reader! Please leave me a comment here and I will draw a winner next Friday (the 13th) and post the winner. 

Your next stop on the blog hop is Lilith Eeckels.

Here is the full list of all design team members:

Becki Adams

Meghann Andrew

***Jill Cornell***

Lilith Eeckels

Katie Ehmann

Paige Evans

Davinie Fiero

Madeline Fox

Elizabeth Gardner

Kelly Goree

Angie Gutshall

Ashley Horton

Corrie Jones

Heather Leopard

Gina Lideros

Patricia Roebuck

Erin Stewart

Diana Waite

Allison Waken

Janna Werner

American Crafts

The Honest Company Review

Hello! This is a completely different post than what I usually do but I recently tried out The Honest Company and wanted to share a review of the products I purchased. 

(Note: I am not being compensated for this review; however if you do make a purchase at the Honest Company I will receive a referral credit).

I am really committed to eliminating products from my household that contain strong fragrances and chemicals. I have admit I used to be a huge Bath & Body Works fan and I also loved the products from Victoria's Secret. But I came to realize that I didn't like how the products were drying out my skin. The fragrances were nice too but were strong. Almost too strong. And the list of ingredients? I could not decipher them at all. And when I looked them up, I started reading things about the potential for causing cancer. I do not want items like that in my home!

Most of what the Honest Company sells contains plant-based ingredients so they are non-toxic. I looked up the list for each item I purchased so I could see where they come from and more information. 

I tried out the hand sanitizer. It comes in in a two pack. I like that it contains aloe and vitamin E so it did not dry out my hands. 

Next up, the hand soap. This is really why I wanted to try out the company because I was looking for a great hand soap. This one comes in a large bottle and has a subtle lemongrass scent. It has a gentle suds to it too. 

I also purchased the shampoo/body wash combination. I have not used it as a shampoo yet but I do love it as a body wash. The sweet orange vanilla scent is very subtle and it lathers well. I do not feel like my skin is dry after using it. I have also used it on my kids and their very sensitive skin handled it well.

Next up is the laundry detergent. This was an unexpected surprise love! I usually buy ALL free & Clear but again was looking for something without a lot of chemicals. This suds well and I have been really happy with how well it cleans our clothes.

While I was at it, I also tried out the dryer cloths. I'm not too sure what I think about these yet. My clothes still seem to have static but they have a nice scent to them. I need to try them out more before I make a final verdict. One bonus is that each cloth can be used twice.

I bought the toilet cleaner as well. I HATE the chemical smell with most conventional toilet cleaners and this one has a light scent. The Honest Company's cleaner did a great job - I'm impressed!

Finally, my final purchase was the fruit & veggie wash. I have been buying a lot of organic fruits and vegetables but I still like to use this wash to ensure my food is clean before eating.

The easiest way to purchase the Honest Company's products is through their monthly bundle. You can choose any 5 products for $35 a month plus shipping and up to 3 more products for 25% off. I think any order over $50 qualifies for free shipping too. I purchased these products through the monthly bundle and am going to try them out again this month. I am going to repeat a few things because I really like the hand soap but I also have some new things I want to try. You can cancel this bundle shipment at any time and even spread it out to 6 weeks or 2 months if you go into your account. 

I came across a coupon code too (the code expires on September 19th) that will give you 40% off your first bundle purchase: PLUMB2S40

If you have any questions about anything, please let me know! 

Gossamer Blue September Kit Sneak Peeks

Good morning! Today I have sneak peeks to share with you from Gossamer Blue's September kit. I created four layouts this month and would have loved to do more but I ran out of time. There are a couple of September cards and back to school cards included in the kit that I might do something more with in the near future. 

My first peek is from the two-page layout I created that will be showcased on the Gossamer Blue blog later in September.

This sneak peek is using the main kit only. 

I'll be able to start revealing my projects soon. Have a great day!

Gossamer Blue: Minnesota Vacation Highlights

Good morning! Hope you all had a great weekend! Today I have a new layout to share with you for Gossamer Blue that was on their blog last week. All of the blog projects being shared this month are new and not included in the main gallery on reveal day. Be sure to stop by and check out the new site, gallery and forum at Gossamer Blue as well!

Every month, I plan to focus my blog project on creating a two-page layout. This month, I chose to highlight our vacation to Minnesota last summer.

When I create a two-page layout, I usually will print several photos at 4×6 or 3×5 and then use several 2×3 photos to help fill in the gaps. I also try to bring design elements across both pages so it helps the eyes connect each page. Here I used one of the Life Pages 4×6 cards to showcase my title.

I used a couple of the Life Pages 3×4 cards for my smaller wallet size photos and used the Travel Girl 8×8 patterned paper from October Afternoon across both of the pages.

On the second page, I used two 4×6 cards and two 3×4 cards all as photo mats. I love the variety of embellishments included this month. The wood veneer luggage, the flair, the transparency pieces and the banner clip were all used here.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back tomorrow with some sneak peeks of the Gossamer Blue September kits.

Simply Playful Accents Winner!

This winner of a spot in the Simply Playful Accents class is:

Lee-Anne said...
My favorite thing about summer was spending more quality time with my family.


Please contact me at cornellgj(at)yahoo(dot)com and I'll get you hooked up with your prize!

I'll be back with more projects next week. Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Simply Playful Accents Class Giveaway

Good morning! I'm going to kick off this week with a giveaway for my very talented friend and fellow American Crafts and Gossamer Blue design team member, Angie Gutshall. She has a new class with Big Picture Classes and I'm giving away a spot in this class here on my blog!

Simply Playful Accents, Easy embellishing ideas for scrapbook layouts

taught by Angie Gutshall

$14

Class Description

Would you like to add a bit of fun and whimsy to your layouts? What if you could do it in a way that was not only fun and playful, but also simple! In Simply Playful Accents, instructor Angie Gutshall will share more than 20 ideas for using items in your supply stash to add a little bit of pizazz to your layouts.

You'll receive 20 emails with before-and-after images, each showing how just adding a little accent here and there can take your layouts from blah to beautiful! You'll also receive four bonus emails with additional ideas and inspiration. Angie even shares her layout-creating process in a fun video tutorial!

Read rest of description here

To enter, the giveaway leave a comment here highlighting what you most enjoyed about summer and I'll announce the winner on Friday morning, August 23rd. 

Webster's Pages: Merry & Bright

Good morning! Hope you all had a great weekend! Today I have a new project to share with you using Allison Kreft's new "It's Christmas" collection for Webster's Pages. Again, I had minimal embellishments to work with so this layout mainly features their patterned papers. I love, love, love Christmas collection and I know I am going to work with this collection a lot. The patterns are eye-catching and the embellishments are amazing!

I did a little hand stitching with red embroidery floss between the stripes. 

And I also handstitched around this circle I cut out and then backed with green patterned paper. 

I can't wait to work with this collection some more this fall and winter! 

Have a great day! :)

Webster's Pages: Favorite Memories of Fall

Happy Friday! Today I'm back with another layout featuring one of Webster's Pages new collections called "Family Traditions" by Adrienne Looman. I'm loving all the rich colors in this one! Again, I had minimal embellishments to work with so this one mainly focuses on the beautiful patterned papers in the collection.

I cut out the triangles from one of the patterned papers - loving this one a lot!

Thanks for stopping by today! Believe it or not, I am actually looking forward to this weekend being over already - ha! My husband has been working away for the past month and more for an event and this is the weekend of it! I'm ready to have him back for some much needed family time. Next week is definitely going to be busy around here! :) I have one more Webster's Pages layout to show you on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Webster's Pages: We Love Daddy

Hello friends! Over the next several days, I will be sharing some pages I have created using Webster's Pages new collections. I have been holding onto these for awhile so I am happy I can finally share them with you. When I created them, I only had the new papers to work with so any additions of embellishments are very minimal. This is a simple layout, even for me! :) Today's layout features Allison Kreft's new collection "Recorded." It has a great color scheme and I loved these photos of Glen with the girls on Father's Day. He even came up with the journaling (although I wrote it all out and tucked it behind a photo).

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back tomorrow with another Webster's Pages layout.

Webster's Pages: Learning to Balance

Good morning! Today I have a new layout to share with you featuring Allison Kreft's new collection for Webster's Pages called "Recorded". We recently went to a park near my parent's house and the girls went on the teeter totter for the very first time. Dad had to help them out a little bit because it was tricky!

I love the stickers and new paper clips with this collection!

I used a die-cut placemat as the background and filled the circles with patterned papers, transparencies and a chipboard button and twine from Webster's Pages. 

Be sure to visit the Webster's Pages blog as they are hosting a giveaway of some of the products I used to make this layout!

I'll be back tomorrow with more Webster's Pages inspiration! :)

Gossamer Blue: Explore & Discover the Zoo

Good morning! Today's layout features the August Gossamer Blue kits once again. I have just loved working with the kits this month! Last summer, we went on a little vacation and one of activities we did was visit the Minnesota Zoo. This layout features our favorite experiences at the zoo. I chose one photo as the focal point and then created a grid with the rest of my photos (by the way, the bears we saw were AMAZING - they were wrestling and biting each other - I have never seen anything like that before in my life - very cool!).

The title was mixed and matched using a 3x4 card in the Life Pages kit, the "explore" card from October Afternoon, Basic Grey transparency, ticket, label and alphabet stickers. 

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll have one more Gossamer Blue layout to share once it is shared on the blog there. The rest of the week I will be sharing layouts for Webster's Pages using their new collections.

Gossamer Blue: The Many Faces of Lily

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend! Today I have another layout to share with you using the August kits from Gossamer Blue. This month's kit predominately featured travel products but I wanted to create a layout that did not focus on travel. I love these photos of Miss Lily from a photo shoot we did last summer. Both of my girls are so expressive. I created a layout of Nora already but not one of Lily yet so this one just focuses on her.

For this layout, I used several of the 3x4 and 4x6 cards in the Life Pages kit as mats for my photos. 

That great polka dot paper is an exclusive in the main kit. 

Have a great day! I'll be back tomorrow with another Gossamer Blue layout.

Gossamer Blue: Off They Go

Happy Friday! I have another layout to share with you for Gossamer Blue that includes a lot of products from various add-on kits and the main kit. The girls love to visit both sets of grandparents and on this particular day they went to visit Grandpa & Grandma Cornell (who only live 10 minutes away). The girls are so funny - it doesn't matter if it's an overnight trip or a couple hours visit - they pack a backpack with their favorite animals, blankets and movies. Never fails! I used some more of the exclusive printables here and the exclusive wooden stamp.

Loving that camera clip! 

And the wood veneer luggage is really fun! 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great weekend. I think I will pop in tomorrow with another Gossamer Blue layout to share.

Gossamer Blue: Let's Go Swimming

Hello! Today I'm going to share my first layout with August's Gossamer Blue kit - this one was created with the main kit only. The August kits are all up for sale today! I think I will share each layout individually on my blog as I usually do - sometimes too many at once can be overwhelming and I always like to share details shots and a little bit about my creation process. My girlies love to go swimming and we had a fun experience at my parent's local pool over the 4th of July. 

This layout features the exclusive grey chevron paper in the kit and the polka dot paper is also an exclusive. I used a lot of elements from the August printable in the main kit. The designs are so easy to cut out. I have an Epson printer that I use for all of my photos and I use Ultra Premium Matte Paper to print both my photos and printables like these. 

The banner, "chase the sun" and "you are here" are all found on the printable.

I filled in the white part of the chevron with other patterned papers in the kit and machine stitched. 

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back tomorrow with another Gossamer Blue layout.

Have a great day! :)