My 2nd Journey Project: Happy Birthday

Hello! I'm so excited how this card turned out! I ended up using most of my February Journey kit on this layout I shared with you last week. So for my second project I used the last card I had and the stamps. I love the stamps this month! The mix of script and print fonts is so eye catching. I used both the kit stamp and the add-on balloon stamp.

First I water-colored some white cardstock with my gelatos to get more sky background to pair with the 'sky is the limit' card. I probably could've used watercolor paper but since I don't have any, white cardstock works just fine. I sometimes lament the lack of good supplies I have but when I use what I do have, I still have great results! Always try to use what you already have, you will probably be just as happy with the end product and your budget will be happier too. :) After my sky background dried, I added the hot air balloon stamp and clouds with black ink and added gelato watercolor to them as well. Then I wanted to add a specific sentiment to the front without disrupting the picture I just created. I was happy to find one last sheet of sparkled vellum in my paper stash. So with a quick cut on my Cameo, I had a fresh Happy Birthday to finish off the front. It created the perfect overlay with the vellum which I attached with a couple green brads. By using the blue-green-red color inspiration that came with the kit, I have a beautifully cohesive card!

I stamped a couple of the sayings on white cardstock so they would pop on the inside. Plus I misted some of the smaller elements to get some more red on the inside. If I had planned a little better I would've attached the brads before I glued down the front but it doesn't bother me too much. There's always something to learn for next time. :) I can't wait to share this card the next time I need to wish someone a Happy Birthday! And I hope you all have been just as inspired by the Journey kit!

PL Progress on a Winter Day

 We've been having plenty of days that look like this...

So that means we're staying inside!! I'm thoroughly enjoying recording Millie's 1st year Project Life style. I'm taking my time and never saying I'm behind even though she's 5 now. :) For me, the whole point of scrap-booking is to have fun not be caught up to the moment. With all the time inside we've been having this week, I was able to date my recent batch of prints and get them in sleeves. 

• I like to print out a bunch at a time when Snapfish is having penny prints. After I have them in order, which you always have to check because you know Snapfish will throw one randomly in the pile and it'll be bad news if you miss it, I get them in the album about how I think I'll want them in the end. 
• I keep them chronological. It's a baby book so this makes the most sense.
• I leave spaces for my stories because I flip through my journal while I'm putting them in so I know about how much room I'll need. 
• And I add a few sticky notes if I have a great idea while I'm working. 

Now all the photos I'll be working on over the next few weeks are in the album, in order and ready for my creative touch! I have about 3 months just waiting for me. Yay!

Love Banner

 Since I got my new Silhouette Cameo I knew I wanted to replace our Christmas Advent banner with something new after Christmas. I took until February but I cut out this cute Valentine/Love banner. I just love how it turned out. I had planned on having my girls help put it together but once I got it all designed and cut, I was feeling like it just needed to get done and I wanted it straight. :) So they helped hang it!

I was inspired by this banner I found on Pinterest: Easy Christmas banner by Lilluna. I love finding ideas on pinterest and I know I'll be pinning a lot more when I'm spending quality time nursing a newborn. It keeps me awake at night! Find me here.

My 'Journey' Layout

 

Hi! Today I'm sharing with you my Journey layout created with the February Take 10 pocket kit. As soon as this kit arrived, I knew it was going to be an adventure! The colors are completely different than I usually use. Not that I don't like the bold primary colors but I have 2 little girls and it's all pink around here. Most of my stash is pink and soft and watercolor-y. :)  I have a feeling baby boy (due this spring) is really going to put a new spin on life for us! But when I saw the theme, I knew I had the perfect trip to document. I had just recently looked at the first trip I took away from my first daughter. With those memories fresh in my mind, I dove into this kit.

 

When my baby girl was about 9 months old, my husband and I took a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina through his work for a fun Film Festival they used to hold annually. The year before I attended for the first time very pregnant. This time I was coming without my baby but still with a serious craving for some southern sweet tea. To die for! I was really looking forward to spending time with my hubby and having some 'me time' but I knew it would be bittersweet.

On the left page, I used a few cards from the kit with a few from my stash in coordinating colors of red and blue. I listed some highlights and created an unofficial title card and left plenty of room for journaling. After I recorded my thoughts, I added a few stamps and a red mist to finish it off.

On the right side, I used almost entirely cards from the Journey kit. I made the red polka dot card with my gelatos and a red marker to mimic the blue one. And after messing with the currently card way too much, I just cut out the part I liked and glued it on a plain white card. Sometimes 'messing up' brings surprisingly good results! :) The bottom card I shared in my sneak got a little face lift because I wanted the background to be sharper.

It's always fun to remember a story like this one! It's these short trips that remind me how much I need to spend quality time with my hubby and how much I love spending my days at home with my children. Thanks for letting me share and enjoy your journey this week!

My 'Journey' Take 10 Kit Sneak Peek

Today I am sharing a few goodies from the Take 10 'Journey' kit for February. We took our first adults only trip when my baby girl was 9 months old. Her album is full of pinks and soft feminine cards so it was a fun challenge to mix is up with the 'Journey' kit! The bold blues, green and reds will make this trip jump out when I look back.

My favorite part of this month's kit is probably the stamp! I love the script and the details! I used my gelatos to stamp this to get a more distressed look to match the rest of the background, which I created by using bubble wrap to stamp circles with more white gelato.  And I used light blue ink to get a hint of the puffy clouds from one of the add on stamps. Plus how cute is the geo tag clip and info card!  This is only one card out of a whole page I'm working on and look at how much I'm already giving away. This kit is full of goodies!

'My Story' Baby Girl updated

It's been a busy day and I've managed to get to the journaling on these pages! YAY! So here's a look at the finished pages. Enjoy your story today!

Laura's 'My Story' Layout: Baby Girl

Hi! Today I'm excited to share my Take 10 Kit layout with you! I was able to make 2 great projects with my January 'My Story' kit and definitely have a few goodies leftover for more. I shared this cute coffee card with you earlier. This week I have a layout. I don't scrap our current lives right now. In fact, I started Project Life as a way to document my babies. So I'm in baby book mode and working at my own pace. I'd love to be 'caught up' but I don't really worry about it. I really enjoy pouring over these memories! My baby that you see in these pictures just turned 5 years old. Eeek! Time really does fly! I skipped ahead a few pages to do these 2 because I knew this kit would fit perfectly with her 8 month pages. But if I try to skip ahead in my journaling I usually miss something so those stories will come later on. Always remember this is your process! And you can scrap in whatever order and whatever pace you want to!

I love how the colors of the 'My Story' kit blend so well with the baby girl kit I use for most of my milestone layouts. I used the 'This is My Story' stamp to add a little pink to the grey bokeh card and left plenty of room in the middle for some journaling. The weekday card was so perfect to include with a puffy sticker and stamp in this spread that captures so many everyday moments. I trimmed out the center of the 'Today was a great day' card, added the puffy orange heart and a little pink gelato to the edges to make it pop.

Speaking of my story... If you're like me and know that you'll want to have lots of details to fill in but you aren't going to have your pages ready to go within a few days of the events of the pictures, I recommend getting a journal. And yes, a cute little book is nice. But honestly, I've been using Google docs as my journal for a couple years now. I start a new doc every January and then just start writing. I have a reminder on my phone to jot something down every day. Especially with little ones, there's always something to remember. Some nights I have lots of words and others I can only write a few fragments that will remind me of the events of the day, before I fall asleep. But find a way to record your memories! That way when you go back years, months or weeks later to put the stories with the pictures, it all comes flowing back to you. Both you and your family will want to remember the sweet moments that made you, not just the where and when. If you want to see these pages with the stories, find me on Instagram! I hope to fill it out yet this month but there's always life to enjoy and new memories to make! :) Enjoy your stories this week!