I Am... Still Using the EmbellishKits.com May 2015 Scrapbooking Kit!

From the first time I saw this "I Am" collection from Simple Stories in Shelby's class last earlier this year, I was smitten. The soft aqua mixed with first and second generation golds, coral and greens, and flashes of gold foil and outline accents in a creamy white spoke of the pleasant days of Spring to come. Now that they are here (and even more pleasant than I had hoped for to be honest), the May 2015 scrapbooking kit from EmbellishKits.com is the perfect companion to the (1000's of) photos I've been taking!
 

As I previewed in our kit release video for National Scrapbooking Day earlier this month, this collection also offers a die cut pack with nearly 100 Bits and Pieces in it- limitless possibilities there! You could use a few of these to highlight your embellishment clusters, spell out a title, or even become the focal point of a page or card. Shelby also included black twine, aqua ribbon, and sheets of rich Bazzill cardstock that perfectly coordinate with the colors in this collection. I loved these papers so much, that when I saw some additional sheets being sold at the Scrapbook Expo a few weeks ago, I just had to grab them! Instant gratification and all that... you can find order more from Simple Stories through embellishonline.com though :-)


Can't cut this couple apart card.

Cut Apart Collage

Cut apart sheets are papers that I sometimes avoid buying because I don't always know what to do with them! Maybe not so much avoid buying, but more along the lines of, easier to say no to lol.  I love getting kits like this, that include ideas for how to use products I love but haven't been inspired enough to experiment with. Sometimes we just need a little practice project, no?
One of my bonus cards from this kit is this wedding card, where I stacked those cards behind a cute cartoon sticker of a couple exchanging a loving glance. The anchor and suitcase cards made me think of "honeymoon," and by wrapping some of that aqua ribbon around the grey polka dot square, it becomes a wedding present! Even the two heart cards which had been cut down too far to show as full sized hearts got included. No one can see behind to see what isn't there lol.


May 2015 Scrapbooking Kit Preview tutorial layout on the left

I love how this two page layout came together- made separately, they feature two very distinct styles, and yet because the pieces are all coordinated, it comes together beautifully. A grid pattern for my four by four photo collages on the left also includes ten of those 2x2 inch cut apart squares, while my four by six photos get my favorite free for all treatment - a color block background for each photo and lots of layered die cuts to spell out a long title. On each page I also opted to follow the full color examples provided by including two of the pocket folders included in this month's kit. One is just for looks, but I did journal a tiny bit about my girls current accomplishments on the other.

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...

I do love me some shine!

Look at how I used this flower filled basketed bicycle die cut, and the "so thankful" banner to spruce up the front of this card. Of course I had to add in a handful of my favorite blings from Queen & Co., too! I still have a few pieces that I can create more cards with, but frankly, with so much card making going on around here, the times when I can devote my energy towards scrapbooking are now cherished moments, so took this opportunity to add to my albums instead of my store front card racks.

I am... an artist

Scrapbooking as an art form has become such an important storytelling tool for me; it has allowed me to explore memories that I fondly look back on from the perspective of motherhood,

I am...thankful

I am...loving life

 

I am... one of many

highlight relationships that mean the world to me, and well, when you have cute kids you've got to do something with all those photos! Putting pretty papers together with pictures I enjoy and then finding litte add-on's to enhance my page is a very creative process, and one I absolutely think of as essential in my personal quest to avoid card-makers burnout lol.

Thank you for joining us for our first layout share post, using the May 2015 scrapbooking kit from EmbellishKits.com
Be sure to click on the purple social media icons to the right of this post to follow my channel on YouTube, catch my latest instagram posts and Surivor fan-atic tweets, or to take a stroll through my etsy shop... your comments are always welcome below, too!
I'd love to hear your current "I am...," or about what scrapbooking or card making means to you, or maybe you want to share about how you feel about gold foil? Lol, whatever your weekend brings, I hope it includes a bit of bling!


Same-Month Scrapping

Working on a layout featuring photos taken within the same month...is that an even thinkable task with scrapbooking?! With the blossoming of Project Life style scrapping, i.e. daily, weekly, or monthly recapping of life's happenings, this idea is becoming more realistic. Add to this equation tiny printers that you can wirelessly send your photos to for instant printing, and you've got a recipe for some same month scrappin.

Well, I don't have a Project Life album per se, and I don't have a cool new Selphy printer, but I do have pictures, an album and I do have a printer! So even though the ink is running out in said printer, I did print off my fourth of July pictures and scrapped them within the same month. I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment.

I started with a series of photos of my family taken down at the beach as we waited for dusk to turn to night. My hunny is known for his dislike of the traditional family portrait taking session, but my mom's got an iPhone, so within the 30 or so pictures she snapped I found three that I really liked and wanted to have all on the one page. You can tell when looking at the photos that I was trained to hold my picture smile! 'Cause I am like the wax statue that my family is posing around lol.

This year I've been working really hard towards reaching for my not-favorite items. Not that I don't love all my products, but there are definitely some with dust accumulating on their edges. Instead of patterned cardstock, I got into my patterned paper (probably purchased over a decade ago) and chose an unlikely sheet of a snow covered treescape. It reminded me of that grey light that our eyes see as the sun sets. Next I pulled that striped sheet from a gifted paper pack which includes the die cut letters you see in my title.

When I have trouble getting my die cuts to pull cleanly from their background, I simply cut around the letter for a fun and funky new look, and then pull up the edges on the letters for a bit of dimension. This saves me a lot of frustration (and wasted letters)! Plus, on this layout especially, it can lend my alpha a bit of visual weight it may be lacking.

Under my title I added some scraps as banners. Some banners got their edges inked for more depth, and I even cut the lighthouse from Graphic 45's By the Sea collection and turned it to create a nautical flag as well. There are so many different reds in the picture itself that I didn't worry about matching, and tried to use bright, dull, and everything in between shades without fear. The same idea was in mind for the many blues, and it seems to have translated well. Rub on stitching and Queen & Co.'s star shaped rhinestones helped to emphasize our Fourth of July fun.
It doesn't show much in the photo above, but I got really creative with some washi tape fireworks as well. I'll be sure to post an additional entry with my completed left page and a close up of what I think are some of the coolest fireworks amongst my album to date. Thanks for reading today, and don't forget to comment for a chance to win either a die cut or a scrapbook page designed just for you in my Scrapbook Expo contest going through the end of the month.  

Need Retail Therapy?

This weekend, the annual Scrapbook Expo is rolling into Puyallup, and I'll be working in the Paper Wizard booth with owner, Eric. He was kind enough to offer me a pass to the vendor fair as well! I've already got my budget of $20 used up with Queen & Co.'s offer of their latest trunk, free with a $15 purchase. I can't wait to treat myself to a fancy multi dimensional die from the Paper Wizard too. Of course, I'll show it off here!
I've been working on getting some Artist's Trading Cards prepared to hand out to new friends I meet. I've done this in the past and it's awesome, because you're meeting all these crafty people, and it's like I just want to make something for everyone of them. But that's somewhat realistic, I mean unrealistic, so instead I hand them a card with artsy stuff all over it and my blog address. It's funny to because sometimes, I go to give them the first card I pull and it's like, oooh not that one for you :-) How about this not so fancy keepsake? lol of course I don't say that outloud!
Speaking of show off, have you caught my latest Card Share video on YouTube?

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All of the cards in this video are available (as mentioned) in the Gig Harbor Copy It Mail It.  It's been a great experience, so far, working with the owners and getting my cards into customer hands. I love hearing- or let's face it, just imagining- stories of someone finding Just the Wright Card. Or Write Card! It's always been the best part of creating cards to me. Picturing the recipient's reaction and hoping it makes their day special.

So at the beginning of the year I told myself that I really need to be in better contact with my friends. So far I haven't done as well as I'd like, but there is always room for improvement, right? Last week I sent two cards out to old school mates, one whose mom I now work with, and one whose mom I see shopping at Michaels frequently. I'm good with the moms I guess (right DF). Embellishing the outside of the envelope is going to be what I call my embellishment of the month for my product challenge I issued (myself) at the beginning of the year as well. Whether it's with stamping, or just doodling on the outside, anything that can snazz it up some will be attempted.

The fabric in the background here and in the movie is actually a placemat that my Aunt Trisha made. One of her quirks was that she only ever made three placemats... since it was only herself, husband, and only son. And since I inherited a few of her sets, I think of this often and laugh. We all have our eccentricities. Like for instance, I aspire to be a YouTube-star-craft-diva-extraordinare go figure!

If you want to send a card you've made yourself, consider attending my next Mason Jar Card class at Michael's July 27th from 2-4 pm. The stamp we're using is so versatile and will go perfectly with whatever paper you bring (or don't bring) to class. Trust me, you'll love what you make.

So when's the last time you had a "happy mail day" and received something other than the usual? How are you doing on your quota of Retail Therapy? Head up to the Scrapbook Expo this weekend and stop by the Paper Wizard booth- I promise I'll have something free for ya!