March's Workshop....

This month I loved the paper packet that I chose so much, that I wanted to see how many layouts I could make with only adding a few pieces of cardstock.  I used the Balloon Ride paper pack from CTMH, the Balloon Ride Compliments & made my own embellishments using the Martha Stewart silicone molds & hot glue.  The paper pack comes with 6 pattern papers (2 each of 3 designs) and 6 coordinating cardstock (2 Cashmere (lt brown), 2 Saddle (dk brown), 1 Colonial White & 1 Crystal blue).  I ended up adding 1 of each of Colonial White, Crystal Blue & Sorbet (kinda pinky).  I love the results and can't wait to get them in my albums.  

First, I will kind of explain how I made the embellishments:



I put the hot glue in the molds and let them sit for a bit.  Once they were cooled down enough, I removed them to let them cool down the rest of the way.  The glue formed in the molds better if the mold stayed warm.  After the shape cooled off, I had to trim the excess glue from around it using regular scissors.

After I had all the shapes needed for my class, I painted them with CTMH's pearl paint mixed with a few drops of reinker.  I chose to do 2 coats of paint so I didn't get an opaque effect.

Here is the first layout that I had in mind.  It looks a lot like Scrapbook Generation's style of layout so I will definitely give credit to them seeing how I love their style of layouts (which it seems I have adopted without even looking).  I took the printed scallops and cut around them to create the scalloped borders.  Used a whole 12x12 print as my main focal point and created my one little decorated 3x4 piece using a masking technique with stamps.

 

Here is a close up of where I placed my homemade embellishments.  I used hot glue to hold them down because I was unsure if glue dots would stick to them.



This is the second layout that I chose.  I was actually going to use a die-cut on this page that I created using my Gypsy and completely forgot to put it on.  Maybe I will add it when I add the photos...



I thought these particular embellishments would be too thick, but they turned out amazing and I couldn't resist using them.  This is also where I had plans for that die-cut image I was going to use.  Maybe if I used 3-D foamies for the die-cut, then these little guys won't seem so thick... 



This was the third layout that I had planned for.  Very girly, very two-toned.  I still loved how it turned out.  I used the additional Sorbet cardstock as the base for this layout.  Both Colonial White cardstocks were used for the photo mats in all the layouts.

 

For this embellishment I wanted to see if glue dots would hold and sure enough they did.  I haven't had any problems so far.

I only had a few pieces of this paper pack left along with some chipboard coordinates...



I used the remainder of the patterned papers and added a Crystal Blue cardstock to create this layout.  I might add some 3x3 photo mats on the right side of the page once I start adding photos...



For these embellishments I wanted a washed look (not that I'm a painting expert or anything), but I wanted only the raised portions to have color.  So I first painted them in Colonial White and then using my fingers brushed on the Juniper color (kind of a blueish-green).

And that's all the layouts that I was able to create using only one paper pack and 3 additional pieces of cardstock.  As for the scraps, I was only left with a 4x12 piece of the Pink Crackle Print, the trimmings from the Blue Print used on the second layout and a small strip of Colonial White cardstock.  I cut the 4x12 down to 2 4x6 pieces and put them with my project life cards and the strips will be turned into rosettes for another project that I'm currently working on and will hopefully be sharing with you very soon.

Thank you all so much for taking a look.  Please leave a comment or suggestion.  I love all your feedback!

A little share...

Today I want to share my take on athomewithnikki 's home management system.  I absolutely loved her idea (even the way she organized it) that I new I had to come up with something similar.  Where I live, there isn't a Staples within 200 miles.  So I had to adapt and research where I could get my MS goodies.  I found this wonderful seller on eBay who sold most of the items I needed to duplicate Nikki's system in BULK!  It was amazing!  Not only was I able to get all my goodies, I was able to get enough to make 5 systems!  Ok, seems a bit much, right?  Well, it turns out that I shared this idea with a few of my friends and they also loved it!  We ended up changing some things a bit, but for the most part, we kept it just like Nikki's.

The only thing I wasn't able to get my hands on was a calendar insert.  So I had to get a little creative (my friends just went to our local Office Max and picked up an insert).  But, me being me, that wasn't good enough...  I had this calendar/smash/journal book/binder that my daughter found at Michaels by Recollections.  It was so cute (but limited) that I didn't want to use it.  The pages consisted of blank calendars, shopping list, contact pages, daily document pages and very cute graphics on all of them (so me!). Then, like lightening, an idea struck me.  How could I incorporate these cute pages into my management system?  I wanted to be able to use them over and over and not have to keep buying a new calendar every year.  So this is what I came up with...

The original pages were too big for the MS binder.
I ended up copying (not intended for resale - perfectly acceptable as long as I use it for personal use only) all the pages that I wanted/needed for my system.  I trimmed them down to a workable size for my binder.  Glued the pages back-to-back.  Inked the edges to hide the imperfections.  And then laminated them so I wouldn't have to do this every year.
Now all I have to do is use a dry erase marker to fill in my calendar and I am all set.
If anything happens to these pages, I still have the originals to fall back on to make more copies.

Here is a quick look at some of the sections in my binder.  It is almost exactly like how Nikki set hers up.  So if you want more info about a section, please watch her video.

I made several copies of the shopping list that came with the Recollections Binder to put in here.  I also added some of the pockets intended for the Recollections Binders.

My WONDERFUL friend is currently doing Project Life.  She came up with these amazing inserts for her filofax and then was nice enough to put them on her blog to share with the world!  Thank you so much V!!  And the dry erase markers work nicely!   I am loving this system!

I had an extra binder and some MS pocket pages left over so I am currently working on a system for the holidays.  Mostly so I can keep track of card-making/giving, gifts and events going on during those chaotic months.  I will share it as soon as I am finished with putting it all together.  Again, a HUGE thank you to Nikki for sharing her idea.  And thank YOU for checking this out!