for the love of watercolors...


it's no surprise that i love a white background.  i love that every page starts as a clean slate.  and of course, i love to add beautiful patterned paper to my backgrounds, but most of the time a good portion of white can be found somewhere.  

white backgrounds are really a blank canvas to me.  i love adding splatters of paint and mists, and now my new favorite is watercolor paints.  i love the effect watercolors leave on the paper.  hoping to find some time soon to play around a little more, but for now, i wanted to share two of my favorite layouts created using watercolors as my background base.


right now...
for this layout, i used a little bit of gesso first and then added my watercolors once the gesso dried.  the gesso acts like a barrier so the color doesn't absorb into the cardstock.


happy...
this layout was inspired by wilna's recent "in the mood to scrap" video at two peas in a bucket.  and believe it or not, this background actually started as a "mistake".  i love to play around with watercolors, but sometimes i feel like it just doesn't work out right.  for this page, i was adding water to my background and then ended up sticking the whole thing under the faucet.  my first reaction was to just toss the way too saturated paper, but then i added my color and watched it spread out across my paper to the corner.  and once it dried.....sigh...it was so pretty!!  

what about you??  do you love watercolors??  

xoxo



gossamer blue: project life week 28

happy tuesday!!

i'm back today to share my week 28 of project life using the new life pages kit from gossamer blue!  these kits really are awesome.  they include so many fun cards and embellishments!!  for these pages, a used a little variety of the life pages kits and a few bits and pieces of the other gossamer blue kits!  

here is a look at my whole week....



and a better look at each side...


i love including things from our everyday life....  movie tickets, drawings, shoe sizes.  these things are what make project life so awesome to me!





this "we are here" stamp from the main add on kit is just awesome!  and it went perfectly with this photo of my daughter splashing in the pool!!


a few more close ups...







i had a few extra photos from a trip to a local park we took this week, so i created a little pocket using some of the life pages cards, stamps and stickers!  it's the perfect little addition if you want to include more photos!

thanks so much for stopping by today!!  be sure to check out the rest of the amazing life pages DT over at gossamer blue!!


gossamer blue: life pages kit & project life: week 27


i am still tickled pink that i'm a part of the gossamer blue life pages design team.  lori gentile, the owner of gossamer blue, goes above and beyond in her kits each month and this new life pages kit is just so awesome!

i mean...look at all of that goodness.  so many journaling and filler cards!!  and the embellishments and stamps are the icing on the cake!

take a peek...


i created two project life spreads and one special project using this kit and the other gossamer blue kits.  here is a look at my week 27 of project life using the main life pages kit only...


this is the week of july fourth.  we were at my sister-in-laws lake house most of the week with all of my  husband's family.  since it rained most of the week i didn't end up with too many photos, but filling in pockets with journaling and words works for me too!  

here is a better look at each side and a few detail shots...








so fun, right? 

the life pages kits are awesome!!  
thanks so much for visiting me today!!  i'll be back later next week to share my other PL spread, as well as my special project!

happy friday!
xoxo




glitz design: blog hop



happy thursday everyone and welcome to the july edition of the glitz design blog hop!!  (even though it is already august...wow!!)  you are probably hopping over from noel's lovely blog.  so glad you stopped by!!

for the blog hop today, i thought i would share some of the layouts i created for CHA.  i feel so fortunate that i was able to play around with the new products!  i wish i could have been at the show in vegas!  i bet it was awesome!!

the wild & free collection is my absolute favorite ever so i thought i would share a few layouts and a mini i created.  i'm sure you will see lots of projects from me using this collection in the future.  the colors are just perfect and beautiful!!

first up are the two layouts.  one a little more artsy and one a little more structured...

"be you"

i played around with my mists, sewing machine and some embossing powder to create the background for the layout.  then i finished it off with some of the wild & free stickers, large rhinestones and some stamps.  so fun!!


"wild heart"

for this layout, i started with these three photos of my daughter on the carousel at our local park and then added in different papers, embellishments and tags to fill in my page.  i just love her little laugh. this page just makes me smile.  :)


and....

i love a good mini, so i couldn't resist putting one together for CHA.  here's a look at the cover and a few of the pages....





so what do you think??  are you in love with the wild & free collection too?  i just love it!!

thanks so much for stopping by today and joining us on the blog hop.  your next stop is the glitz design blog.  don't forget to leave comments along the way to be entered for a chance to win a prize pack from glitz!!  the more times you comment, the more chances you have to win!!  good luck!!  

here is the full blog hop list incase you got lost along the way!!  

Jaime Warren – http://jaimewarren.typepad.com/

Glitz Design Blog – http://glitzitnow.com/blog/


xoxoxo

a dabble in digital...


i have always loved playing around in photoshop, but never really took the plunge with stamping brushes and creating digital backgrounds.

with the excitement of the upcoming toolbox class at studio calico, i decided to try out a few techniques.  and it was so fun!

i don't have the ability to print out 12x12 images or paper, so all of these are printed at 8x8.  but.....if i ever do get my hands on a 12x12 printer, i think i definitely will be doing more hybrid pages.

here's a look at my dabbling... 





fun, huh?

do you ever play around with digital brushes??  it was really fun to see the page kind of "come together" on the computer before printing it out and finishing it.

xoxo

featured guest: come on get crafty


i'm a big fan of the girls over at come on get crafty so when nicole invited me to be their featured guest this month, i said definitely!

the come on get crafty shop is full of my favorite things....crafty bits, sequins, wood chips.  i got to play around with some of the papers, embellishments and other goodies and created this super girly layout.

here is a little peek of my layout...


stop by the come on get crafty blog to see my entire layout! 

happy friday everyone!

xoxo

more CHA fun....webster's pages


i was so excited to be able to play around with Adrienne Looman's new collection New Year, New You for CHA this year.  the colors are so beautiful and i love the light and airy feel they give when put on a piece of paper.  

i created three layouts using this collection and they are all showcased on the webster's pages blog today.  be sure to stop by to check them so you can enter to win the whole collection.


here is a look at one of my layouts...


aren't the colors so beautiful?  i just love how soft and dreamy they look!!

thanks so much for stopping by today!  hope your weekend is off to a great start!

xoxo













studio calico: toolbox blog hop


I'm excited to be contributing to Studio Calico's upcoming TOOLBOX class. this class will fill your crafting toolbox with cool tips on stitching, mixed media, misting and digital from four technique masters. Amy Tan, Celine Navarro, Geralyn Sy and Shanna Noel will each spend a week in August teaching you the ins and outs of their favorite techniques. I'll be contributing to the mixed media week, and I'm going to be sharing a project life spread showcasing some fun ways to create your own journaling and filler cards using some of my very favorite mixed media techniques.

Though 7.24, Studio Calico has a cool offer for everyone who signs up for Toolbox - they'll be able to pass a FREE spot in the class to a friend. Here are all the details...

You'll want to stop by Celine Navarro's blog for a chance to win a spot in the class, and then pop over to the Studio Calico blog for more links to class sneaks and giveaways!


Here are a few sneak peeks of what i've been working on for the class!  




Follow along on the blog hop to see more awesome sneaks of the Toolbox class.

Here is the blog hop list incase you are joining in or get lost!  :)

Amy Tan | Stitching 
Celine Navarro | Mixed Media 
Geralyn Sy | Mist 
Shanna Noel | Digital 
STITCHING CONTRIBUTORS : Patricia Roebuck | Sasha Farina | Jen Jockisch | Becky Novacek
MIXED MEDIA CONTRIBUTORS : Stephanie Bryan | Lisa Spangler | Marcy Penner | Anna-Maria Wolniak 
MISTING CONTRIBUTORS : Dana Fleckenstein | Jill Sprott | Nicole Reaves 
DIGITAL CONTRIBUTORS : Catherine Davis | Barbara Picinich | Stephanie Washburn | Tina Aszmus

Hope to see you in class next week!!

xoxo


glitz design: CHA sneak peeks

i am so bummed i can't make it to CHA next week, but i am super excited to be able to play around with the new glitz design collections.

you can see the full collections here on the glitz blog.  they are seriously amazing.  everything i thought i found a favorite, i started playing around with the next collection and quickly changed my mind.  sigh.

i'm pretty sure that finnley and wild & free are my top two.  the "la la love you" card is absolutely adorable and the colors in wild & free are perfect.

here is a quick look at what i've been doing lately.....
11 layouts and 2 mini albums in 2 days. 


finnley collection


dapper dan collection


wild & free collection


wild & free collection


project life: week 22 insert


happy tuesday everyone!!!

today i'm sharing an insert for week 22 of my project life album.  my little lady had her very first dance recital this week and i wanted to document all of those special memories.  she loved her dance recital.  i think she loved the costume and makeup just as much as she loved being on the stage!!  

here is a look at the front and back of the insert...


i trimmed down an old page protector to give me the one 4x6 and four 3x4 slots.  



for the 4x6 slots, i decided just to keep it simple with pictures, the EPIC stamp from blinks of life and a gold star.



i added my journaling on a piece of vellum and then glued it sewed it inside of a wood veneer frame from a studio calico kit.  i added the "best day ever" stamp because....well....it was the best day ever!! :)



i embossed the gold "right now" (also from blinks of life) and mounted it onto the back of a dear lizzy lucky charm sticker.  (ps...if you don't have gold embossing powder or these stamps, you just have to get some!!)



i added a few more photos, more stamps and a confetti pocket with the date and the name of my daughter's dance company to finish the insert.  confetti makes everything fun, right??  

that's it for today!!  lots on the agenda this week.  busy busy busy with CHA stuff.  so bummed i can't make it to vegas next week.  sigh.  hugs to everyone!

xoxo





color combos galore: caribbean dreams


there is a beautiful new inspiration board up at color combos galore today.  the colors are so vibrant and beautiful and the whole thing just screams party to me!!

here's a look at the colors and inspiration...



and here is my layout inspired by this board....


Inspiration Photo #4/Focus On Design: White Background
(used white cardstock base and created a "white space" design)
Other Inspiration:
Inpiration Photo #1: string (idea: hemp string); Inspiration Photo #2: resin flower (idea: cabochon type flower); Inspiration Photo #3: stacked/layered papers (idea: composition of papers); clothespin, stamping on tag, hearts (idea: clothespinned tag)


my main focus for the layout was "white space".  most of you probably know i love a good white background so i jumped at the chance to utilize this beautiful space on this page.

i also took inspiration from the "clustered" look of some of the flowers in the inspiration photo and added two clusters on my layout.  one with my photo and journaling and one in the top right corner.  i just love these colors.  especially the red....which i'm not usually too keen about.  it just makes the whole page pop!!

thanks so much for stopping by!!  happy happy friday!!



such a sweetie: crate paper creative weekly challenge



i had so much fun playing along with the creative weekly challenge at crate paper.  the challenge was to use polka dots on your project.

for my layout, i wanted to create a cluster of circles on my layout.  initially i had the whole space filled with cut out circles, but it was a little too busy for me.  then i started to remove part of the them (thinking i was going to scratch the whole idea and start over)....and i loved how it looked with a cluster on one side and my photo and white layers on the other side.

here is my submission for the challenge....






thanks so much for stopping by today!!

happy thursday!

xoxo



glitz design: love you madly


glitz design is showcasing their wonderful cardstock stickers this week and my layout is up on the blog today!!

i was in a romantic and dreamy mood last week and i think all of my projects reflect that feeling....especially this one.

i love the "love you madly" collection.  the cardstock stickers are beautiful and feminine.  i knew they would would be perfect for this layout.  it's a pretty simple layout....but that's what i was going for.  sometimes simple is better.