Magical Goodness + Studio Calico's Starlight

I love all things Disney. That's pretty obvious if you take a closer look around here. It's a place that we travel to almost every year and I have so many photos and memories from this magical place. I love that Studio Calico's Starlight kit was perfect for some of those stories. Let me share a few.

This one from Disney California. And yes, I realize I misspelled California - a nice little dose of humility for this spelling snob is what that is. Unfortunately, it was all filmed and posted before I noticed so it's here to stay! As a consolation, there is a video on how it all came together (misspelling and all):

Next, we have a project life page with some Magic Kingdom photos that I love from a few years ago:

And then there's this one from Disney's Typhoon Lagoon park. My favorite waterpark of all time!

And then there's this little oddball. I used the Fall Document add on to document these photos from the pumpkin patch last year. I have to get in at least a little bit of the current season in there!

These were all my project for the Studio Calico gallery this month. Mostly magical, with a side of fall goodness! Thanks for stopping by.

Making a List Design + Felicity Jane

Hey there Felicity fans, Nancy here today with a look at the new Zoey kit. When my kit first arrived, the first thing that caught my attention were those big, beautiful numbers! I love every single thing about them - the patterns, colors, font and especially the size. I knew that I would center a layout design and story around them.

​

What better way to use numbers than to make a list? I am definitely a list making girl. I have daily, monthly and yearly lists for just about everything in my life. On this design, I focused in on an older photo of my niece. It's an every day shot without a specific story that I haven't scrapped yet. I decided that I would make a list to describe her at this age. A top 5 if you will. This is a great way to tell a story through journaling that is short and sweet.

 

Next, let's take a look at the design. I started with a white cardstock base at the bottom so that the beautiful patterns on the numbers could shine through. I scattered the numbers so that they looked like they were falling down the page. Tucking some of the numbers at the edge of the patterned paper lends to the tumbling effect. I used a 2" circle of vellum under one of the numbers to add shape and movement to the area.

​Just around the photo is a sprinkle of embellishments that leads the eye right to the subject - the girl! Layering different shapes is  key when creating a cluster like this. The heart, followed by a flag, topped with a sequin circle - staggered shapes work well together. Notice the half circle of vellum peeking through under the pink patterned paper? There are three of them scattered through the layout to give it some bounce (literally).

The title is clean and graphic, underlined with a simple line of stamped text. I like to combine dimensional alphas with stamping to create eclectic titles. I think it makes them more interesting. The journaling was printed on one of the 3x4 cards from the kit and stamped in aqua with "The Little Things". 

​Thanks for stopping by today and taking a closer look at the Zoey kit.  Don't forget the next time you have a favorite photo, make a list! A top 5 about your dog, vacation, hobby, home or day - the possibilities are endless. Use up your numbers and tell a story!

SUPPLIES | Zoey Main Kit | Zoey Die Cuts | Zoey Chipboard Numbers | Zoey Journaling Cards | Zoey Acetate Shapes | Zoey Tiny Tags | Zoey Stamp | Zoey Black Puffy Alphabet

Designing a Page | Elle' Studio March Kit

Circle, circles, circles. I haven't met one I didn't love. It's one of my design go to's when I want to create a quick bold look. So this month when I opened my Elle's Studio March kit, the first thing that hit me was this collection of large vellum circles in navy, aqua, lime, and sunshine yellow. Complete with sentiments in the center - hello beautiful!

I thought about the words and shuffled around the colors a bit when looking through photos I keep aside to scrap. The one of the kids jumped out at me - it went perfectly with both. They are still very much at a monkey-see, monkey-do stage and in this photo their sense of humor and bond comes shining through. This is what I wanted to say and now I had just the right kit to do it with - thank you Elle's Studio!

So first things first - I lined up those beautiful vellum circles photo right underneath the photo to call attention to it. That decision led to lining everything up in the center of the page - so that's where I went next.

Up at the very top I centered everything. An aqua acrylic star, the acrylic friends title and some stamped sentiments. They all frame out the photo, add texture and pops of color. The centering ties everything together.

Once I had everything lined up, I was thinking about "what am I going to add that's a little design twist." That's always the goal when I'm creating. I had a package of the kit sequins right next to my workspace and though, "hey, what if I just put the package right on the page?". That led me to create a small shaker out of a divided page protector. I tucked it right under the photo and I think it lends that element of interesting and pop of color. Clear pockets filled with fun are always fun.

And that's it - the story of how the layout came to be. It's so easy to create when the hard work of design has been started for you. I can always, always count on Elle's Studio to give me great colors and shapes to work with. That's half the design battle right there! Check out more beautiful designs by Elle here.

Thanks for stopping by! Coming up tomorrow I have painted butterflies and art. See you then.

SUPPLIES | Elle's March Kit | Friends Acrylic Word | March Stamp Set | March Mix Sequins | March Star Acrylics | Puffy Blue Green Stars

Love + Elle's Studio

Today is all about the love. I hope you are celebrating it with your people! I've been making a lot of heart themed pages lately. In the spirit of the month of February and maybe to chase the weary ugly days of winter in the Northeast. 

So let's celebrate things we love. In this case - toys! This is a closeup shot of the Toys ‘R Us flagship store located in Times Square. It has a ferris wheel right smack in the center of the store and it’s my son’s favorite spot in all of New York City.

I wanted to create a dreamy look to this design in contrast to the bold photo. Creating a frame of love and dreams was the objective. The puffy heart stickers were the perfect accent for this story. To create the raining clouds of words, I used a sewing machine to sew lines. The lines created the perfect place to anchor the Puffy Heart Stickers!

Layers of white clouds cut from vellum gave the top of the design an airy feel and anchored those sewn lines. This is literally a shower of love (for toys).

Using four different colors of the Letter and Number Stickers created a nice subtle sprinkle of words down the layout. A few glittery white enamel dots added just a punch of a different texture to the layout.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this page about things we love. Happy Valentine's Day!

Supplies |  Puffy Heart Stickers, Letter and Number Stickers- Teal, Letter and Number Stickers- Pink, Letter and Number Stickers- Yellow, Letter and Number Stickers- Red

Studio Calico January Kit: Roman Holiday Projects

This month starts a new year on the Studio Calico team. I'm excited to use these kits and stretch creatively! My first assignment this month was to use the January Roman Holiday Stamp Subscription set.  The design centers around the stamped bordered. Layering very light gray flowers with black script words creates a pretty pattern that centers the design.

The story is one about my boy + husband. While the photo is from a recent vacation, I decided to journal what I was thinking when I first looked at the photo rather than the typical "who, what, when". Placing the words + photo on a bed of patterned strips calls attention to the point!

My favorite embellishment in the Roman Holiday kit are the chipboard pencils. Here they create a border pointing to the vellum stickers with a bold splash of color. 

My second favorite? Those little emoji heart puffy stickers. How cute are they? By tucking them just under the photo, it draws the eyes straight to the star - my dog Lucy. The story is about a funny moment when I realized that my little black and spotted dog was chewing on a black and spotted dog. My first thought was - cannibal! Lucy makes me laugh all the time and I thought this story was an important one documenting our every day lives.

This assignment was to use the Funny Face Add On which is birthday themed. Here the story is about my niece and her third birthday. I chose this photo because I liked how it matches the patterned paper.

My favorite part of this design are the balloon strings. The balloons in the pattern reminded me of the Disney movie "Up" and that's where the idea to extend the string design came from. Thanks Disney for the spark!

The Studio Calico Roman Holiday kits and add-ons are perfect for creating a spark of design and telling your stories!