Hey there! I'm on the A Flair for Buttons blog today with this layout featuring 6 pieces of flair, yes, that's right. 6! and bows for the You Are So Bow-tiful challenge at Paper Issues.

I got a little carried away with an idea, but it all worked out. I had this Websters Pages Over the Rainbow paper that I love, but wasn't sure what to do with it. So I stitched it, then cut it out, lastly gluing it to white paper. Meh. Still not sure. That's when I got the idea to jazz it up by filling it in with little bits like sequins, brads, buttons and bows. Hmm, why not flair? I hunted thru my buttons and found I had colors to match everything!  Let's see if I can remember what they all are! I used Linen Polka Dots,Two Tone Hearts, Just Hearts 1,  and Watercolor circles.

I love how they add another size, and some pattern to the page!  Even the TODAY is perfect in color and sentiment. There really is a flair for everything!

We recently had a snowstorm, or three. First thing in the morning before anything was disturbed, my husband took this photo. the first thing I thought of is where is all the color? It looked like a black & white world. I love that the colors in this paper are muted. everything works in harmony here.

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. Add some flair to your pages with A Flair for Buttons. Shop Paper Issues using DEVRA at checkout for 20% off your purchase. See you again soon.

Let's Do This

Hey there! I'm on the Paper Issues blog today sharing this project for Scraplift Sunday. This week we are lifting this amazing layout by McJen.

Mine? It's totally different. I don't follow directions well. I took inspiration from the grid design. And I love how each space is embellished. From there I went my own way.  I do have the nine little spaces, But I filled then with the Webster's Pages Changing Colors  Smile cut apart paper. Some of them I layered, some I embellished with bits and pieces from some of the Monthly Kits, one houses the title, another the journaling, and oh yeah... one is the photo! Tying it all together is the Stripes paper backing the whole thing. 

For the past few years I've started the year with a 'fresh start' type of layout. This page really spoke to me. Everything fell into place easily. Small sentiments, big reminders.

Thanks so much for stopping by my creative view today. This is the first of what I hope is many posts this year. Check back again soon for more.  In the mean time, The January kit as well as several new items have hit the Paper Issues shop. Get yours now for 20% off when you use DEVRA at checkout. 

Shine & Sparkle

Good day and thanks for coming back again. Today I have for you the third layouts I made as guest designer for Inside Out Visual Journaling, using the July Shine kit.

One of the things I’m learning is it’s ok to make fun of yourself, and to take a lighter approach to life. I wore a pink paper crown on my birthday. I wanted to look like I was feeling special. I was radiating happiness, both inside and out. When I began this page, I had a light hearted feeling in mind, and wanted to show that on the page 

I surrounded the photo with as many of the bright and happy pieces as I could. I used ones with sayings as puns, such as the Pineapple, to keep with the idea of making fun of myself and the day. I love that d the background paper looks like falling confetti. It also goes to the lightness of the page theme. I used the arrows to help guide the reader through the page. 

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. Be sure to check out the Inside Out Visual Journaling daily for more inspiration from their amazing design team.

Supplies: PP die cuts & enbellishments-Webter's Pages, Pink Paislee And Crate Paper, alphas-American Crafts, Webster's pages, mist-Heidi Swapp

Rise & Shine

Good morning. Today is my second reveal as guest designer at Inside Out Visual Journaling using the July SHINE kit. I took a lighter approach with this page

I’m not an exercise lover, but have learned to love my daily walks with my dog, even to look forward to them. The photo I chose isn’t really important. It’s what it represents. This page is about a change of heart. I feel really good after my walks. I feel alert. I feel awake. I feel energized, ready to shine and take on the day.

One of my favorite things I see while walking in the springtime is the sun coming up over the trees. I cut a sunburst out of the yellow paper to create the same feeling. It bumps against a pale grey paper, like the sun bursting through the grey clouds. The scatter of embellishments are also rising. The sequins shine like the sun, the butterfly and flowers are things I see on my walk.  A splatter  of ink ties the colors and embellishments together.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. There is always something going on around here, so come back again soon.

Supplies: Inside out Visual journaling SHINE kit. CS-Bazzill, PP-Websers Pages, Pink Paislee, embellishments-Pink Paislee, Crate Paper, unknown, Sequins-Hazel & Ruby, Doodlebug Designs, Mist-Heidi Swapp, Marker-Faber Castell, Silhouette, Alphas-Aerican Crafts, Websters Pages

Guest Designer

Hey there! I'm excited to share that I am Guest Designing this month at Inside Out Visual Journaling. I have admired this idea for a long time and have participated a few times.  I am honored to participate in this month's theme SHINE.

I like the idea of self reflective memory keeping. But, I, like most of us, have a hard time creating pages about myself on a more serious level. I feel that if I want to write seriously about myself, I may not want to share what I've written, and how I'm feeling. This was a great opportunity to test this out. So, here goes. My first of four pages created with this months SHINE kit.

I started by looking up the definition, synonyms and antonyms of Shine. The first word that stood out to me was darkness, an opposite. I figured here is my chance to get down on paper some honest thoughts about me. Over the Rainbow from the Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite songs. I love the lyrics and they particularly resonated with me. So I used the rainbow to help describe some wishes and wonders about my life if it were different. Is life different 'over the rainbow'?  It is ok to wonder and wish, but for me, that doesn't get me anywhere. As Dorothy realizes, her life is just fine as it is, so have I. 

I created a grey, rainy background using sketch pens in the Silhouette. I used the lemons, not as a sign of summer, but more towards the making lemonade sentiment. The pink papers are more as a backdrop for the rainbow. It seemed to stand out more against the bright colors. The simple sentiments were just right for how I was feeling as I worked on the page and are also a part of the story.

Thanks for taking a look at my creative view today. Come back again soon, there is always lots to share. Each Friday this month, I will be sharing another page created for Inside Out Visual Journaling.

Supplies: CS, Paper Accents, PP-Websters Pages, Pink Paislee, embellishments-Crate Paper, Pink Paislee, Alphas-Webster's Pages, pen-Sharpie, Silhouette.

Shine

Good Saturday morning to you. Today is Sketchy Saturday over on the Paper Issues blog. Here is the  sketch created by the wonderful Jennifer. 

This is what I did with it. I wanted a bit of a wonky look, so I hand stitched some crooked lines to create the grid. I knew I wanted to use one photo and I knew exactly which one. That made the product choices easy.  I had a some Webster's Pages Hall Pass left. I liked some of the sayings and they were great for the idea in my head. I cut pieces into different sized squares and rectangles, then layered them. I tried to treat each space as it's own little page, drawing attention to some spaces more than others. I chose embellishments that complement the theme of the page, my thoughts about my son growing up. Stars, inspiring sentiments and arrows all support the story.

If you haven't played with a grid design, this is a great sketch to get you started.  Head over to the Paper Issues blog to see other ways the sketch was used. Like the products you see on the pages? you can find them in the Paper Issues shop, along with many new products, such as Bella Blvd, Simple Stories and Elle's Studio.  Use the coupon code BEACHGAL for 20% off your order

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. I always have more to share, so stop back again.

Supplies-CS-American Crafts, PP & stickers-Webster's Pages, resin & clips-Freckled Fawn, Sew Easy, thread-DMC, wood pieces-American Crafts, Studio Calico, washi & enamel dots-MME

The Spot

Good morning. I have a layout to share that is part of the Product Spotlight feature today at Paper Issues. Today's featured Product is the Hall Pass collection by Webster's Pages.

I am sucker for a good school themed collection and believe me, I have a few. There are several things I like about Hall Pass. One is the different colors. It's coral, yellow, light turquoise and orange. Almost spring/summer type of colors, as opposed to the primary colors of the other collections I have. I really  like the motivational word phrases on the Sentiments sticker sheets. Lastly, I love the techy background paper I used. I think it's a current way to use the alphabet on a school themed paper. I did add a few little bits to add dimension and contrast.  All of these pieces combined, make for a fresh take on a school/learning kind of page, as I have created here. 

When we bought our house, I envisioned the huge island in the kitchen as the spot where my son would sit and do his homework after school. Sure enough, that is exactly what he does every weekday afternoon. I usually prep dinner while he works, so we are in the same room. It gives us a chance to talk about what he's doing, or for him to ask for help.  I'm glad I snapped a quick photo of him one afternoon while he was working.

Thanks for looking at my creative view today.  There is lots more around the corner. Stop back again soon.

Supplies:PP & stickers-Webster's Pages, Alphas-Thickers, Webster's Pages, Wood Pieces-Jillibean Soup, Recollections, cork-Freckled Fawn, Fancy Pants, enamel dots-MME, Freckled Fawn, washi-Bella Blvd.

Tickets for 3

Well, we've made it this far into the month, there are only a few days left until the big day. Are you ready? Or just ready for it to be over? My December was super busy, as I'm sure everyone else's has been as well.  I did find some time to scrapbook. Not a lot of time, but just enough to get some pages finished for some challenges.

Speaking of challenges, here is my second reveal for ScrapStuff'z Inspired by.

The inspiration photo:

 Tickets for 3

First of all, I used sketch #109 from Inspired Blueprints.  I needed a little starting point to get my page going.  I liked this sketch because it had a lot of square elements, like the photo.  When I looked closely at our inspiration photo, I saw that everything in it is related to Christmas, in some way.  I also liked that the photos were overlapping and were matted.  That is how I got to my page. The photos are of us at The Nutcracker Ballet, which is also related to Christmas. I then matted the photos. The washi tape down the center gives them the appearance of being over lapped.

I also chose some design and embellishments from 123 Get Scrappy.  In this months grid, I have a lot of options. So you can look at this page and see the color green (paper), scalloped edges (misted background and tag over photo) and staples (attaching small red heart vellum).  The other way to look at it is numbers (in title), baker's twine (attached to journal tag) and Scalloped edges.  It all worked together to help me create a page I really like, that shares a short family story.

I'm glad you stopped by to see my creative view of our  ScrapStuff'z Inspired by photo. Please, come show us how you were inspired as well.

Supplies:

CS-Bazzill

PP-Chic Tags, Websters Pages

Washi-MME

Stencil-Fancy Pants

Mist-Studio Calico

Ephemera-Heidi Swapp and American Crafts

Alphas-Glitz Designs

Twine-Americn Crafts

ink-Colorbox

brad-Freckled Fawn

staples-Staples