my mind's eye: february mini album

i'm on the my mind's eye blog today sharing my monthly mini album tutorial.  and yes...i'm still slightly obsessed with mini albums!  :) 

just.can't.stop.

hope you like it!!

happy friday!

xoxo

glitz design: what a wonderful world

this week at glitz design is all about die cuts.  i love using my silhouette to add backgrounds to my projects, as well as pops of embellishments.  

when i started putting this page together for glitz, i originally started in a completely opposite direction and was going to create a grid using frames on my page.  but my silhouette started acting funny and pretty much just tore up my paper.  i didn't feel like dealing with it, so i turned it off and pulled out my bowl of die cuts that i have sitting in my craft room.  

as i was rummaging through the bowl, i found a few of these die cut words, which are from a studio calico class last year.  then i decided i wanted to use them ALL on my page.  i tried a couple different ways to lay them out, but in the end i settled on a circle of words.  i liked how the words looked in a circle, but the white-on-white made it difficult to discern the words completely.  so i pulled out my mists and got messy creating a circle shape on my white card stock.  

i love the way it turned out, and even my hubby said it was his favorite (i love that he actually pays attention and comments....and that he doesn't think i'm crazy for my paper obsession).

CREATE magazine & My Mind's Eye

Scrapbook Generation and My Mind's Eye teamed up last month to bring you Issue 2 of CREATE magazine.  It's full of sketches, inspiration and beauty.  I am honored to have two of my projects featured in the magazine.  

Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy.  You can find the full issue at Scrapbook Generation.  

CREATE Issue 2

gossamer blue tutorial: creating customized page protectors

good morning!

i'm on the gossamer blue blog today sharing how i create my own customized page protectors.  it's a little labor intensive, but the end result is awesome!

hope you will check it out!!

two peas in a bucket: "stuff that makes me happy" and a freebie

i have a "capture" video up at two peas in a bucket today.  this month is all about "me" so i decided to put together a spread about all of the things that make me happy.  you can see more of my process and how i altered this design f page protector in the video.

i also put together a little layered template freebie for anyone who wants to create a similar layout using the 3x4 pocket sizes.  i've included one template that has a white border (like my project life spread above), as well as one that is borderless.  you can download the templates here.  

thanks so much for stopping by today!!  happy monday!

currently...

it's semi back to normal around here and it feels good.  the snow has melted and the temps felt like spring this past week.  lots of outdoor fun wearing flip flops and jeans and that's pretty awesome to me.  it's amazing how some sunshine can lift your mood and spirit, you know.

i've been meaning to do a "currently" post for some time, and here i sit with my coffee as my kiddos watch some sunday morning cartoons, so here goes...

watching this saturday night live clip over and over.  justin timberlake just makes me giggle.

listening to passenger's let her go over and over.  it also happens to be drew's favorite song and he gets so excited when it comes on the radio.  he loves that a "boy" is singing and he wants to sing like that when he's a "big guy".  sounds good to me.  mama will support you.

loving pure barre classes to the moon and back.  seriously in love.  i've been going about 4-5 times a week for the past four weeks.  i made it 6 times this week.  slightly obsessed and crazily sore, but it's such an amazing workout.  just can't stop.

wanting to make more and more mini books.  again, i have mini book issues.  i love them.  i love to make them and hold them.  planning on making a digital book of anna's art soon through artifact uprising.

signing up for ali edwards' "hello story" class this time around.  i missed it last time because i had so many other obligations, but i really want to join in this time.  i love how ali teaches.  she's pretty amazing.

eating this salad over and over again.  the pine nuts and goat cheese....mmmmmm.

getting lost in paige evan's lovely blog.  love her photos, love all of their adventures, love her amazing way of making patterned papers rock!

what about you?  what are your "currents"?  link up here if you have a currents post on your blog!!

happy sunday!

glitz design: mixing it up

this week at glitz design is all about "daily life" and the everyday.  although i do project life, i decided to take a "spin" on this week and combine both a traditional layout with page protectors.  i love interactive pages and this one turned out to be so fun to put together, as well as look through.  it's kind of like a "mini book" on a layout (and well....you all should know how i feel about mini books by now!).

i started this project by adding pictures, journaling cards and embellishments to two 6x8 page protectors.  one pocket i filled with confetti and then sewed shut to create a peek-a-boo fun window.  after my page protectors were filled with photos and the like, i sewed them onto a sheet of the glitz wild & free patterned paper and then trimmed it a little larger than my page protector.  i wanted it to act as a frame around my pocket pages.  then i sewed the page protectors and my patterned paper onto a piece of white card stock, as well as another piece of patterned paper (for extra stability).  i love how it turned out.  and it's so fun to "flip" through pages on a layout.

here's a few more photos...

how fun, right??  be sure to check out the rest of the week at glitz. lots of amazing daily life inspiration, as well as the monthly giveaway and a new challenge.

workspace wednesday...

playing along with the lovely marcy penner and workspace wednesday today.  just a simple glimpse of one of my desks right now.  covered in project life goodness from the march gossamer blue kits.  the colors have me longing for chirping birds and blooming flowers, what about you??

jot magazine: issue 4

how you checked out issue 4 of jot magazine?  it's another fabulous issue packed with amazing inspiration, interviews, challenges and the like.  

i contributed several layouts, as well as an interview about my project life album and process to the magazine.

here are a few of my layouts.  you can see the rest of my projects and more amazing inspiration throughout issue 4. 

you can see my interview about project life on pages 33-47.  how cool is that?

two peas in a bucket: project life february

i am in love with project life again this year.  the monthly approach is definitely made for me.  i really did "stress" a lot last year if i was a few days behind and i love not feeling like i'm always playing catch-up this year.  i have also tried to simplify my process dramatically to get it manageable and easy to finish.  

today at two peas in a bucket, i'm sharing a video my organization and printing process, the first few spreads of my 2014 album, as well as a walk through of one of my weeks.  i hope you will stop by if you get a chance.  it's rainy and cold here and the perfect day to cuddle up and watch some videos!  

happy saturday!!

fold out mini book

we are going on day three of being "snowed" in.  we technically could have ventured out wednesdsay morning for a little while, but no one could really predict what was going to happen and when so we just stayed put.  we're hoping to make it to a valentine's day party today if the weather warms up enough to melt all of that ice out there!

i've tried to find a little quiet time in my craft room (i.e. quiet time consists of my children too...) everyday for my sanity.  i did manage to put together this fun little mini book inspired by nicole reaves' "mini book mini workshop" at studio calico.  i love making minis and this one was super fun.  plus, it's always fun to use supplies as soon as they arrive on your doorstep....you know...when they are still super new and super fresh.

the outside book is roughly 4.25x4.25 and each page is 8x12.  nicole's technique for assembling the book is pretty awesome and i'd never made a mini like this before!!  

here's a look at my mini...

12 on the twelfth: february pictures

another 12 on the twelfth is in the books.

and again, it was an "out of the ordinary" day for us.  we stayed in our pajamas most of the morning.  we baked cookies and muffins.  we sang song after song from the frozen soundtrack.  hubby and i had way too many cups of yummy coffee.  we waited for the snow and couldn't pull ourselves away from the doors and windows when it finally started.  the kids played in the snow for about 5 minutes before they were too cold and wanted to come in.  i made a mini book.  we had cups of hot cocoa with mini marshmallows.  and we made valentines.

our day.  captured and recorded.  that's all that matters.

did you play along?  i'd love it you'd link up below!

12 on the twelfth...february

it's the twelfth of the month so that means i'll be snapping away today.  i was so hopeful for an "ordinary" day to document, but go figure....schools are cancelled, play dates are happening and we're all still in our pajamas.  oh well....that's our life.

i'd love for you to play along with me!  i'll have a link up here on my blog tomorrow if you do get around to taking and uploading a few photos!

xoxo

jot magazine: felt & fabric mini album

yes, i'm slightly obsessed with mini albums.  :)

today, on the jot blog, i'm sharing a fun way to use your fabric and felt scraps to make a sweet little mini album for your valentine.  sometimes it's fun to play around with different textures.  hope you will check it out!  

glitz design: valentine's day banner

love is in the air!  can you feel it?

i'm on the glitz design blog today sharing a fun valentine's decoration!

i love valentine's day.  i wasn't really a big fan until i had kids.  but now....it's one of my faves!  i love to decorate the table in the morning and set out little piles of cards and candy for them.

this year, i decided to kick it up a notch and put together this sweet little valentine's banner.

it was ridiculously easy to put together (and way too much fun). 

i cut the "be mine" from the glitz design "finnley" triangle paper using my silhouette cameo.  i used the rest of the paper to cut out a few hearts in different sizes.  i added some photos, doilies and other pretties for a bottom banner.

i can't wait to surprise them on valentine's day!!  and i may just leave it up all year long, what do you think??