PLS: Bonjour Card

I'm back with project #2 for this month for Pretty Little Studio! 

I've just been on a card making streak, so why not just continue it?! I love using lots of patterned papers on my projects, and this card was no exception! I just love paper. <3

If you want to see more about this card, click HERE to view the full post that was live on the Pretty Little Studio blog yesterday. 

Refound Faves: Open Book

Today I'm sharing my FAVORITE layout that I made for this Refound Faves series! It's funny... this collection isn't really one of my favorites (if there was WHITE instead of off-white in this collection, I'd probably like it more... anyone else not like off-white in scrapbooking products??), but the page that came from using this collection is one of my FAVORITE layouts! 

I think I used this collection because I have a LOT of it leftover. Like, I have the 6x6 paper pad (most of it) plus the almost-untouched sticker sheet and chipboard sheet. There's a LOT left. I do still like it though. I mean, vintage florals? C'mon. You can't get rid of those! 

So here's my layout I made with this collection:

This page started out as total blah. I hated where it was going, and changed my idea half way through. Originally, I was going to just layer strips of patterned paper (all from he 6x6 paper pad) horizontally all down the page, but I HATED how it looked. I had already cut the papers, so I changed routes and decided to layer all the papers that I had already cut behind the diecut negative of the word "love". So it kind of grew from there. I machine stitched around all the letters in the "love", which adds such perfect texture to the page. 

That paint behind the photo cluster is supposed to be metallic gold, however it's showing up a little dark in these photos. 

I think these butterflies floating on the page make this layout PERFECT. I like that they add some movement to the otherwise blocky-designed page. 

But seriously. This is my favorite layout that I created for this series. And I like ALL of them that I made. :) Which one was your favorite? 

Project Life: 2017 (January and February)

Hey y'all! I'm finally sharing my 2017 Project Life plans with you today! They're long overdue, I know. I mean, this is the end of MARCH! Anyways. Better late than never. :)

This year I'm going waaaaay more simple than in years past. This is a big change for me, but I'll explain why. 

First of all, I love Project Life. If there were no Project Life, I would have no place to put my everyday photos of good deals I find or those oh-so-important (said sarcastically) snapshots of my Dunkin'. I have done PL in 2013, 2015, 2016, and now 2017. All of my past albums are complete except last year's. I'm going to say that last year's album is 2/3 of the way done. And that is part of the reason I'm going simple this year. I HATE being behind on projects. If I would have started documenting this year in the same creative way that I have in years past, I would be SO behind. There's a lot of thinking that goes into considering page designs or which photos need to be what size-- much less the actual creative process of documenting. It wasn't going to happen. 

So here's what I'm doing.

I'm using a black 6x8 Handbook from Studio Calico. I have had it for... maybe 2-3 years. I've kept it in the package, so it's a new album. 

Here's my intro page-- the only part of this album that will look this decorative. I used the January Citrus Twist Pocket Life kit "Oliver" to make this page. There were a lot of new year themed products in the kit, so I used some of those on this page. 

Annnnnnd here's what my album is looking like this year.

I'm using the app called Collect to add the text and date to the photos on my iPhone (I usually only use my iPhone for PL photos). The images that the app exports don't look high quality, but when they're 3x4's like this, I think I can handle it. :) I like that the app knows the date of the photos so I don't have to go back and add that to all my photos! I like having the date visible on the photo cards so that in the future, I won't have to guess.

I'm going to print my photos probably mostly at Walmart. And that is because of the convenience. I love using better quality photo places like Persnickety Prints, but I can't bear paying like twice as much per photo PLUS paying shipping. I don't really like the quality of Walmart photos, but alas. I'm too cheap to do anything else right now since with Project Life, you print like 20 photos a month. That can add up quickly of it's $0.30 a photo!

I'm liking how simple it all is. I will add in filler cards as needed, but probably not much journaling as that is on the photos. 

Finally used up this Studio Calico card! Yay! 

I was really torn to begin with when I thought that I wouldn't get to be creative with this album. I REALLY love working on my Project Life pages. But then again sometimes when I do it year-to-year, I feel like my pages start looking the same. This time it'll be something different! I really wanted to document Kevin's and my first year of marriage. This way I get to do that! Plus I have comforted myself knowing that I still have that 2/3 of last year's album to work on. I can have some creative fun with that. :) 

Overall, I love the simplicity of it all. It's growing on me. ;)

What are your plans for documenting this year? Do you do Project Life?

PLS: Pineapple Hi

Hello! I'm back with a card designed for the Pretty Little Studio blog! I will be sharing projects using my Hello Heather products twice a month, and today is my first post for the blog. It sounds crazy-- I don't use my products as much as I want to. I guess I've stared at the designs so long my brain is just too shot to make something with them! LOL It shouldn't be that way. ;)

I had mentioned before that I wanted to use my designs more, and this is one way that I'm hoping to achieve my goal. 

For some reason I just LOVE making cards with my Summer Vibes collection. I think it's all the bright happy colors that I love packing up in an envelope and sending away to make someone else's day happy. 

I'd say more about this card, but I have a whole post up on the PLS blog, so I'll just link you to that (click HERE). You can read it if you're interested in more about this project. :)

Thanks for stopping by! 

Tourists

I mentioned in one of last week's posts that I ordered Zinia Amoiridou's new collection with Pretty Little Studio: Blooming Hearts (click HERE to view the entire line). It's such a pretty collection, and I feel like you can use it for any theme! This particular page I documented Kevin and I taking a trip to see the Statue of Liberty. Sometimes traveling on the road is just... blah. And then sometimes there's fun things stuck in between the mundane everyday activities like getting to go be tourists! This year we've already visited the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and now visited the Statue of Liberty as well! 

In addition to using Zinia's new collection, I also used some older items from my stash like that old Studio Calico woodgrain patterned paper (it was actually in my destash pile and I dug it out!) and the old Amy Tangerine thickers for the title. Those alphas are from the Cut & Paste collection! And that collection came out a whiiiiiiiile back. Whoa. I wanted to use them up though. I still like them although they're old! 

I hope you enjoyed seeing this layout that I made! 

Refound Faves: Everyday Eclectic

The collection I'm using today has ALWAYS been one of my favorites. Seriously. I think I've went through two collection packs of this Everyday Eclectic line by Allison Kreft for Echo Park. And I still love it. It's kinda crazy when I look at it because it's not really my "style" or even what I like in graphic design, but man, it still has my heart. 

This collection specifically I only had scraps left over (small ones, like smaller than 4x6's), so I decided to use a cut file and back it with the patterned papers. I used the Color Wheel cut file from 17 Turtles and diecut the circle out of a larger patterned paper that I had from the collection (the ONLY large pattern I had, so I didn't have much choice. lol) I don't normally diecut the shape from patterned paper as well as back it with patterned paper, but hey-- it actually turned out ok! Going out of my comfort zone here. :)

Basically every layout I make now is of Kevin and me. :) 

FYI, the title is a free cut file from Paper Issues, You can find it HERE. 

One of my favorite details of this page is the machine stitching. I stitched all around the wheel shape. I think it adds the PERFECT touch. 

Something else I don't normally do is journal in a color other than black! But this marker matched perfectly, so I had to use it. :) Plus, I think if I would have used black, it would have drawn the eye to it, and with it being lighter, I think you look at the focal diecut cluster more. 

I'm saving the best for last, so be sure to check back next week for the last installment of Refound Faves to see my favorite project I've made using my old favorite products! 

Always

Have you seen Claudia Van R's new collection with Pretty Little Studio?? It's just GORGEOUS. It's called With All My Heart and... you just need to go check it out (click HERE to view the entire collection). I preordered it and Zinia's new Blooming Hearts collection back at the beginning of January and just got my order probably... hmm... two weeks ago. It was kind of a surprise because I sorta forgot what I had ordered! 

This With All My Heart collection is love themed, and boy-- you know I've got enough lovey dovey photos to match this line! :) I think that's part of the reason why I love this collection so much is that I looooooove making sappy, sweet pages and projects with Kevin on them. 

So for this layout, I started playing around with some different papers and embellishments. I love the Flutter paper and ended up using only HALF of that paper for the ONLY patterned paper on this page. I love when you can stretch your supplies! ;) I'm super happy with all of the flowers and diecuts included in this collection. I'm such a sucker for flowers and these are just so pretty. 

The only thing I'm not super crazy about in this collection is the yellow color. It looks yellow here on screen, but it's more of a green-yellow. It's a little bright on the eyes. I don't know if it was meant to be that tone, but nevertheless, I still love this collection. 

What do you think? I'm pretty excited to have some of these products in my stash now. 

Oh- and PS-- my new collection comes out for preorder sometime next month I believe! Stay tuned for more on that! :D

Pretty Little Studio Design Team!

Hellooooo! 

I'm back to share an exciting announcement with you: I'm joining the Pretty Little Studio Creative Team! Yippee! 

Basically I will be sharing projects twice a month that I've made with my Hello Heather products. This will help me be motivated to use my products since I have "assignments" to do. Yay! I have some fun creations made up and also some floating around in my brain so... yeah! I'm excited! :)

Check out the other ladies on the team HERE (click on the "About Us" tab and then click "2017 Creative Team") and be on the lookout for my first post for the team next week! 

Refound Faves: Hello Again

Another one of my favorite paper collections EVER is the Hello Again collection designed by Kaitlin Sheaffer for Carta Bella. This paper in this collection has the PERFECT texture to it. I don't normally buy Carta Bella, but this collection... I don't even know how I found out about it, but ever since I bought it, I have LOVED it. What's so fun is that there are some love-y phrases in this line, and I get to go back and USE them since I now am married! :) Yay! 

I will forever be a fan of fussy-cutting florals. There are so many bold floral patterns in my stash just waiting to be cut out. I love flowers. 

Also here's a bonus card I made with the collection kit as well! I fussy cut those hearts out of a patterned paper and then layered the sentiment sticker on top. I thought that little "You are on my Heart" phrase went perfectly with the hearts! :) 

There you have it-- week 2 of Refound Faves. I hope you'll join me again next week!