Design Team Reveal

     I am so excited to reveal that I was accepted as a design team member over at ScrapStuffz "Inspired by" Challenges blog! You can find my reveal here. I am so excited to work with all the talented ladies that have been chosen, and to learn new things along the way!

   Our first challenge is up with a chance to win a cute set of Studio Calico Wood Veneers.  Please come over and join us by submitting your entry here.  I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Toddler Popsicles

     We are very lucky, and have no trouble with our little one liking to eat healthy foods most of the time.  Occasionally I'd like to give him a "treat", but still have it be healthy.  Here's my solution....

Beach Bonus

     So I promised a bonus item this week, and here it is!  I made a pop-up card from my Echo Park Paradise Beach sticker collection.  This card was a free download on their website.  If you sign up for an account they have tons of free project ideas for each collection.  The card took maybe five minutes in total to put together.  I'll tell you...that's my kind of project...instant gratification :-)

    Since several of the stickers go over top of the card I think I'm going to press the card to tissue paper ,and then cut each shape out so it's not sticky anymore.                         I haven't decided who will receive this yet, but I'm thinking it will be my nephew with a strip of photo booth photos of Michael on our beach vacation this year.  So much more fun than a postcard!

     That's for checking my bonus project out, and stay tuned as I'm working on two new scrappy video tutorials for you.  Hope you're all getting lots of scrap time in now that it's getting to hot to enjoy outside.  Well, it's to hot for me....I could send you all some of this 90 degree weather if you want it :-)

Beach Part Two

Today is beach layout part two!  For these layouts I used the Echo Park Paper collection called Paradise Beach.  I thought the colors were fun, but also cool enough to bring the brightness of the picture's down a notch.  I again used ribbon to enter into the 3 Girl Jam Challenge, and even though this is straight across the page, I liked the application much more than the last ribbon I used.  I think it's because of all the other patterns I used as well...it just seems to blend more.  The surf title was also attached with pop dots to give the page even more dimension.

    I took a close up picture of the side detail so you can see the little embellishment.  The paper collection had a ton of matching alphabets and I used two of them to make a little tag with the month and year the pictures were taken.

   I did the second page with the same collection, but used some of the more toned down colors so that the pages matched, but also contrasted nicely if that makes any sense.  I really liked knowing that everything I picked from the collection matched so I just needed to get creative.  I think Echo Park in my favorite company right now, and I wish more of their items were sold locally.

    What is your favorite paper company right now? Oh, and stay tuned for the bonus item I made with this collection...it came out really cute!

Beach Part One

     My next several posts will be beach related as I've been working on our son's seven month photos. I'll have two layout posts and then one bonus so make sure you're a follower to see all the updates!

     When we had M's pictures done each month, up to 1 year,  we tried to get some of him in a nice outfit and then some that themed around whatever new we did with him that month.  This month was his first trip to the beach.

    I scrapped these photos not only to match the beach theme, but with the inspiration of the ScrapStuffz "Inspired by" post.  I also completed the page using some matching ribbon for the 3 Girl Jam Challenge: Anything Goes with Ribbon. Ribbon is one of the products I've been challenging myself to use more often.  I'm having "trouble" using it in a way other then straight, but you have to start somewhere right!?
   The ribbons are much more turquoise in real life, and match the page colors perfectly.  The little fish also match the sharks in M's rash guard and remind me of his 2nd favorite movie of the moment...Finding Nemo.
     Please stop on by both challenge blogs and take a look at what they have to offer!  I'd also love to hear what products you have been challenging yourself to use more often. 

Washi Tape Layout

     I had never used washi tape before, and recently purchased some to try.  A friend then started a new challenge blog, and it paired perfectly with the new roll so I had an excuse to play with my new goodie.  Like we ever need an excuse though!
   Stacia's ScrapStuffz "Inspired By" Challenges blog had three images to use for inspiration. 
     1. The first image had circles. This inspired me to add circle buttons as the center of my star stickers.  I like the depth it added to my page.  The buttons are hard to see in the photos. 
     2. The second image was stars...hence the star stickers and the stars in the baby title.
     3.  The third image had diagonal stripes, and that's where my new washi tape came in.  I mounted it on white paper in the first picture to make it really pop and left it opaque in the second.  I liked using the two applications so that they matched, but weren't identical.
     I don't know what happened, but my phone photos have been really crappy lately. I didn't have this problem before...maybe it's time for an upgrade! If I can get better pictures I'll update the blog as these turned out really cute in person. 
    What new goodies or blogs have you been lovely lately?

Kiwi Lane Designs - Blog Hop Winner!

     I have to say I've had a pretty good scrappy week. First I won a Liebster Award and then I find out I won one of the prizes on the Kiwi Lane Designs blog hop. I had always wanted to try these, but was intimidated since I'm not always the greatest with multiple colors and patterns. Winning a set obviously gives me the perfect way to try them!

     Gail at GLOworm Designs had a drawing during the hop for a set of the bracket templates. The first winner didn't respond, but that was good for me :-)

     Gail mailed quickly, and well packaged in-case you ever need to do business with her. Also, be sure to check out her blog as she has some really cool things going on there, and great tutorials. She was actually one of the blogs I nominated for a Liebster Award when it was my turn.

    So as a kid with a new toy, I had to try them out right away.  I was working on my son's seven month pictures, and since we did 8x10's for the months it didn't leave a lot of room for add ons.  I decided to use them for journalling, and I have to say I'm very pleased with how they came out.  

     If I had to do it again I would have put the journalling on the left side of the vertical picture, but so be it.  If you can tell there is matching green glitter around the outside of each bracket.  This is how I add glitter without it being girly...I get that question a lot.

     I can also see brackets one and two being very useful with cards.  I think they'd make a great background on top of the card form.

     That leaves me with a question...Do you use Kiwi Lane templates, and how?  I guess that's really two questions :-)

    Stay tuned to see what I'm working on next.