20Sixteen Grateful (Clique Kits)

Hi there!  Today I'm sharing the cover page for my Word for the Year.  This year my word is "Grateful", because being thankful in everything results in a happier more joyful me!

I used the January Clique Kit "Allegria" and two of the exclusive cut files.  I also went old school and used my older heart punches.  I loved the juxtaposition of old meets new.  I found an 8x8 glitter gold Project Life album when I was at Spotlight in Invercargill, but I forgot to buy page protectors.  I decided to make the album without them, and rather allow for a more organic go-with-the-flow scrapbook where I could design off the page.  

This layout is my title page, and sets the scene for my album with a photo of me, my word, the year, and of course most importantly my scripture to accompany my word.  I love doing this every year because it helps me set my other goals, and is the foundation goal for everything.

A close up of my heart confetti.  I wanted it to rain down on my page.

The exclusive CK cut files are stunning!  Love the two I used on this layout!

I made a video that explains my layout and chosen word.

Thanks for looking!

Remember Today (Clique Kits)

Hello again!  I was up on the Clique Kits blog again today, this time sharing a heart shaped mini album I made to document several photos of our snow motor biking last year.

I designed the entire album around the exclusive heart cut file designed by Just Nick for Clique Kits for the February "Hot Mess" kit.  I enlarged the cut file to fit my photos, and cut the cover.  Then I cut the heart without the inside windows for my pages, leaving solid hearts.    Here is my cover.

This is the first page, I cut a plain white cardstock heart to cover up all the paper, then decided it needed some patterned paper.  The black and white stripe was perfect!

I even cut the speciality acetate, and paired it with another of the exclusive cut files "XOXO".  I love that I can see the next page underneath.

And if you want to see more you need to head over to the CK Blog, or watch my process video (a walkthrough of the album is included at the end).

Thanks so much for looking!  I really appreciate it xxx

Sparkle & Shine (Clique Kits)

Hello!  So excited because I'm up on the Clique Kits Blog today with my first layout made with the beautiful February kit "Hot Mess" featuring Maggie Holmes' "Shine" collection.  We also have cut files from Just Nick and its an incredible kit!  

I'm up for Geek Lab, which is all about tools and technology.  I decided to focus on the gorgeous exclusive printables, and I printed them large to make them a fea

ture of my layout.  Of course they match perfectly with the kit!  I scrapped a photo of Brielle at 10 months.

My favourite circular printable is the sparkle one!  The gold glitter is so realistic, and I love how it works as my title with the "Shine" cut file.

I cut part of the black paint circle off and used the excess on the bottom of my page.  The heart banner is another Just Nick exclusive cut file!

You can see more close ups on the CK blog.

Have a blessed day!

Your New Teacher (Using Older Product)

Hello!  Popping in to share a quick layout that I made in an effort to use up older stash, and also in an attempt to scrap more photos of Shaun and Sam.

I went through my stash and found the Pink Paislee Switchboard collection pieces that I won a couple of years ago.  The collection was perfect for an older photo of Shaun and Sam on the first day of school in 2014.

I kept my design to my favourite layers under the photo, and then had a large focus on the title alphas.

I fussy cut the "hi" speech bubble from one of the patterned papers.

You can see all the details of this layout coming together in my process video.

Thanks for looking!

December Daily 2015 Done! (Clique Kits)

Soooooo super excited to share that I did it!  After two years of failing (or rather not completing and not starting), I have actually finished my December Daily!  I used the Clique Kits "Clique into December" kit, and I'm so happy with my finished album.

I made my album from an up-cycled breakfast cereal box (I had to fight my kids for it!), and even came up with my own binding because I couldn't find anything helpful on YouTube for binding pocket pages without a binder clip.  I used a mix of 8x8 and 4x4 page protectors, as well as random sized pages and ephemera.  Here is a side view of my chunky album, full of our family memories!

The homemade album was a challenge, and in a couple of my walkthrough videos I had it held together with three pipe cleaners, because I couldn't make the cover until I knew how wide the stack of pages would end up.  I had so much fun embellishing the spine with the stocking, stickers, and the bakers twine binding which I tied into bows.

I kept my embellishment on my cover very simple - puffy stickers, fussy cut boxes, and the gold phrase and number stickers.

And now for lots of photos of some of my favourite pages.  This one has a card and bag from Honey Bee Stamps and the decoration Azaria made at school.  I love the interactive elements.

A simple page recording two treats I had one Saturday - a pedicure and a coffee, bliss!

Mixing up my page protectors!  And making the most of "The Polar Express" to use winter themed phrases!  Fun with piklets on the opposite page!

I added in a coffee cut from one of my favourite cafes - a photo and my journalling are inside. Totally inspired by Wilna Furstenberg's coffee cup albums!

Journalling tucked inside a glassine bag documenting our entire Christmas day!

And finally a collage of 9 photos to capture the big day!

Here is my video so you can have a look at the whole album.  

I just love December so much, it is by far my favourite month of the year, and December Daily makes it even more special! 

Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading this far!

Clique Kits January Blog Share

Hello and welcome to my bog!  Today is the monthly Clique Kits Pep Rally blog share where we hop along and look at all the goodness created with the latest kit, January's "Alegria".  

I have to say I've loved working with Alegria, and I still have some more leftover to create with!  Here is another look at the beautiful kit featuring Fancy Pants' "Happy Place" collection by the amazing Kim Watson. 

I have two layouts to share with you today.  My first one features the background confetti cut file, and when I first started backing it with the 6x6 paper pad I had no idea what photo to scrap.  I have several older Instagram photos that I've been scrapping my way though slowly, and I decided the photo of Sam having a swimming lesson was perfect - with the confetti looking like bubbles.

Here is a close up of some of my 'bubbles".  It was a labour of love, but I enjoyed the process of backing all the holes.  My advice to you is this: always buy the 6x6 paper pad add-on, the scaled down patterns are amazing to create with, and its a bonus to get all of the paper in a collection.

My second layout features me, and its a selfie I took the day before our third baby was born.  I knew I had to keep that text paper as a full background, and it was begging for water colours to be splattered all over it!  I painted the wood grain camera with yellow acrylic paint.  I thought the "lets take a nap" card was perfect for the last day before Brielle's arrival! 

The "Live Boldly" is one of the printables which I enlarged to be my title.  I thought the title was perfect because I had to have a scheduled C-Section with my third, and didn't want to.  I had to be bold and follow the advice of the doctors.

I loved using up some of the tags, this one was perfect for my journalling!

Here is the line up for the blog share, make sure you check out what these talented ladies have made!

Clique Kits https://cliquekits.wordpress.com/
Gia Lau https://giaaloha.wordpress.com/
*Melissa Vining http:yesterday2day4ever.blogspot.co.nz <<<THAT WOULD BE ME>>>
*Candace http://findingeverydayperfection.com/
*Kat Benjamin http://kraftykat9.blogspot.com
*Leigh Ann http://www.artfulleighcreative.com/
*Aliza http://peopleofthescrapbook.blogspot.com
*Elisabetta https://abcdeliblog.blogspot.com/
Donna http://scrappydonna.blogspot.com/
Emma Pescott http://emslifedocumented.blogspot.co.nz
Sandy Gonzalez http://craftythought.com
Kim Allen kimsscrappyblog.blogspot.com/
Mariah Hecher http://www.fun2scrap.blogspot.com/
Renee Aslette http://www.reneeaslette.blogspot.com
Kate Blue http://www.kateblue.blogspot.com
Megan Blethen www.craftymeggy.com
Kelly Baron kaybeetoo.blogspot.com
Bernie Miller http://weekendatberniis.blogspot.com.au/
*Design Team Members on Kit Duty

Best Ever (Lets Get Sketchy)

Yesterday was a new sketch reveal over at Lets Get Sketchy, and this week we had a sketch by de jesse to work with.  The sketch was very minimalist, with hints of mixed media.  I love sketches like this because you can scrap them as they are, or push it and add a bit more.  I decided to add a bit more.

I used mostly left over products from past Hip Kits (which I keep together in a box).  The exceptions were the strips of patterned paper on the top and bottom of my page.  I scrapped a photo of a latte, which I had taken during my pregnancy.  It was taken on a rare day near the end when I actually felt like coffee.  For my journalling I used my Instagram post "I feel like this today #morningsicknessiwillwin".  I had morning sickness for the whole 9 months, severe in the beginning (hypermesis), and then nausea everyday, and often vomiting.  So to drink a coffee was a win!

And here is the sketch.

 I have a process video, I just need to record the voice over, so keep an eye on my YouTube Channel for that.

Thanks for looking!  I feel like a coffee now!

A Baby Sister? (The Crafty Maven Getaway)

Hello! Yes three posts in three days! I'm on a roll in 2016!! I was up on Saturday on The Crafty Maven Getaway YouTube channel with a video for Scraplift Saturday.  I decided to scrap another photo for my pregnancy album, and I used papers that I got from a paper add-on pack from The Hip Kit club last year, and embellishments from my stash.  I was on with Mari Clarke, and we decided to scrap lift a layout by Jana Koranic.

My layout features a photo of a picture that Azaria drew when she was 4 of her and I with a baby girl in my tummy.  She really wanted a baby sister!  The photo isn't that great, but it is a record of the story.

Here is a close up of my layers.

Here is the original layout that we lifted.  It was completely different to my style, and I loved the challenge of making it work for me.

Our inspiration piece for this week.  I was inspired by the colours of the cupcakes and the rope.

You can watch my video here.

Thanks so much for looking!

Stuck Sketches Guest Designer (Merry & Bright)

Hello again!  I'm excited to share that I'm the Guest Designer over at Stuck?! Sketches for the January 2015 reveal!  I love Laura's sketches, and its an absolute honour to be her Guest.  My layout is about Brielle's first Christmas and opening her first stocking.

The sketch showed four square photos in a linear vertical row, but I decided to use 2x3 landscape photos and slightly stagger them for interest.  I used my November Hip Kit from last year, which was full of the Elle's Studio "Good Cheer" collection.  

I wanted to use the Merry flags to create a stitched banner on the top right corner, and the empty space was perfect for my journalling.  The background misting is with Heidi Swapp Colourshine, using both the packaging technique and splatters.

The silver rub-on stars were the perfect finishing touch, and added that magical Christmas feeling!

I layered a wood venner flag over a die cut frame - and of course using up products that contain the year on them is always a good idea!

Here is Laura's amazing sketch.

Thanks for looking and thanks Stuck?! Sketches for having me!

Happy (Clique Kits)

Hello!  Hope you're having fun wherever you are in the world!  We just got home from two days camping on an isolated farm that is only accessible by boat!  Such an amazing time for our family away from technology.

I'm sharing a layout I made last week, and forgot to post.  Its the second layout I made with my January Clique Kit "Allegria" and I used one of the exclusive cut files.  Its a butterfly, and I had an awesome time enlarging it and backing it with patterned paper and sequins.  The whole inspiration came from the photo of Brielle from a year ago, gazing up at Shaun and laughing.

I cut the butterfly from kraft cardstock to make it pop.  I used the Fancy Pants 6x6 paper pad, and backed the cut out parts of the butterfly.  I adhered the sequins with glossy accents.

A close up of my cluster, all focussed on the darling exclusive flair!

The "Hello today" card was perfect for my page, both the colour and the sentiment!  I added the flower die cut on pop dots.

I'm loving my Silhouette Cameo, especially now that I've worked out how to use it!

Thanks for looking!

Hello Is It Me You're Looking For? (Clique Kits)

Hello!  I'm back today with the first layout I made with my January Clique Kit "Alegria", which means happy and joyful in Spanish.  The kit features Fancy Pants Design's "Happy Places" collection by the amazingly talented Kim Watson, and its jam packed full of goodness.  

For my first layout I was inspired by the yellow "hello" paper, and I immediately got Lionel Ritchie's classic "Hello" song in my head.  The photos that were perfect for this layout were of Sam and Azaria from last year when we went to Puzzling World in Wanaka, and I took photos of them in the maze from the overhead bridge.  I set to work creating a title with my Silhouette Cameo, and I love how it turned out.

I kept my design very simple, using the hello paper as my border, and then keeping my title and embellishment central.  I really wanted the focus to me on the middle photo, and title.  The hello is a wood veneer from Basic Grey that I painted yellow with acrylic paint.

I wrote my date on one of the exclusive cut aparts by Charlie Fox Paper Co.  I love how it suits the fun and colourful Happy Places Collection.

Creating my title took a bit of extra work, but it was worth it.  I backed it with papers from the 6x6 paper pad (an add on to the kit).

Here is my process video.

And here is a photo of the kit, these photos are always such eye candy!!!

I have a kit unboxing video on my YouTube channel, which you can watch here.  

Thanks so much for looking!

Lovely Little Moments (Lets Get Sketchy)

Happy New Year!!! I'm so excited because today is our first reveal for 2016 over at Lets Get Sketchy!! Yay!! This week we have an awesome sketch by Sarah King, and I used it to position the main paper elements.  After that the embellishing took a life of its own!!

I used older Crate Paper products from deep in my stash, including some of the original Maggie Holmes collection.  I love Crate so much, and I especially love how easy it is to layer with.  I'm scrapping Brielle again, she's been getting a lot of pages made lately, and Azaria has been questioning it!! 

I loved layering up lots of pieces of ephemera, and the bird is a sticker which I popped up on dimensional adhesive.  

I also added in some of the Maggie Holmes Confetti chipboard, including the "Lovely" title.  I love that Crate Paper products work so well together.

My little cluster in the top right corner makes me happy :)

And here is the fabulous sketch.

I have a process video for this one too.

Thanks so much for looking!