COLLECTION | Crate Paper Kiss Kiss

STORY |  This layout started with a favorite picture. A selfie of my husband and I from this past summer. It was a gray, misty morning on the beach and the photo has this dreamy quality to it. That got me to thinking about our impending anniversary and the path that led us to here and now. It’s been good, but this has been no fairytale. I like real stories and real life, so that’s what I journaled about. Some warts, some great things and the sentiment that I would still do it all over again with him.

DESIGN |  I began the layout with the color chip sheet of patterned paper from the 6×6 paper pad. The color gradient and simplicity of the design make it a favorite. From there, I layered a die cut journaling card, some chipboard, stickers and tags to create the center of the layout.

I framed out the photo by using two square chipboard frames in pink and gray. This keeps my photo front and center despite all the layers and embellishments surrounding it. The story is important here so I went with a bold, large title smack in the center. I like how these Thickers are a neutral, white and gray woodgrain and keep the bottom of the layout mostly white.

I’ve been playing with very soft colors lately which is a big change for me. I love the ethereal look of white pages and soft colors. It’s a phase.  I’m sure I’ll be back to my usual bold palettes on the next round of layouts, but for now I’m enjoying it!

Diagonal Love

Sometimes I find myself following a diagram of sorts when I start a page. A design that I've done over and over again comes naturally, but sometimes I get bored. That's when I know it's time to shake things up.

Creating on a diagonal line is not new, I've seen it all over Pinterest. But it's new to me and it was a challenge to put my own spin on it. I kept super clean lines, bright colors and a line of stamping to make it my own.

This corner cluster started with the two small photos and then I just kept building out until I reach the corner of the page.

I continued the layer on the opposite side with larger pieces. My favorite is this colorful, hexagon print transparency from American Crafts.

All of the items on this page are from the July 2014 Scraptastic kit Summer Nights. The photos, the kids and the story are all mine. :) 

May Project Life

I've been doing a monthly Project Life spread since the beginning of the year and I'm happy to say that 5 months later, I'm current and sticking with it! I avoided Project Life because I have enough deadlines in my life and I didn't want a project like that hanging over my head week after week.

Thing is, I love the look of pocket scrapbooking and documenting the everyday things. The solution for me is to do a monthly spread using the Scraptastic This Life Noted kit. Here's a look at one side of my May spread.

I didn't have much time to dedicate to project life this month. Between end of school parties and getting ready for vacation, I had 2 hours left to print, document and decorate.

I love that type of flexibility where depending on how much time I have to spare, my spread can range from super simple (above) to more detailed (below).

Last month I had more time to add hand stitching, sequins and tons of photos. 

Keeping it simple or embellishing it up. Making Project Life fit your schedule makes for a happy scrapbooker!

To subscribe to the Scraptastic This Life Noted kit, you can sign up here. They sell out every month, but if you want to try it out just for one month, check back on the 1st of each month to see if it's available.