Life's Trivialities

The Good Life / Elle's Studio

I'm here to share an Elle's Studio layout with you today, it's release day and the May kit and add on's are AWESOME!! Treat yourself to a Mother's day gift, you won't regret it. Treat your Mom too while you're at it (and she is a memory keeper)!

Here's the May kit;

 

And the amazing add ons;

This was created using the above goodies;

I used several of the 3x4 cards and die cuts from the May kit and created some more complimentary 3x4 cards using the Beautiful Day 6x6 paper stack cut down to size. While the kit comes with a plethora of fantastic colors, I cannot scrapbook that way. I went opted to work with the yellow and salmon red as my primary color scheme. Each of the cards as something to attract your attention and provide visual interest.

A mix of Everyday Goodness Epoxy stickers and the Everyday Phrases Volume 2 Stamp are a nice compliment to the yellow faux washi tape on a 3x4 card in the May kit. I typed out my journaling. Sometimes I hand write, others, I type. Just depends upon the mood. When I have a limited space, like a 3x4 card, I prefer to type. There is a good mix in my albums of typed and handwriting so it's not like the kids will wish I had written more.

A sprinkling of the Hand Drawn Acrylic Hearts are scattered through out the layout. In the photo above, I use a heart to draw your eye to the Large Jane Alphabet stamped "S" for Suzanna. The yellow 3x4 card is a cut down piece of paper from the Beautiful Day 6x6 paper stack that I have stamped with the "happy moments documented" stamp from The Good Life stamp set. There are going to be plenty of upcoming pages with that stamp and the two like it utilized - it's such a versatile stamp. I love how it provides room for journaling or a date stamp. As I have done here.

I have always been a fan of Elle's Studio digital cut files and this months are no exception! This layout about fitting into a 16-17 year old dress that I haven't worn in that same time frame is about "the good life" that I have slowly been carving out for myself. Making some big changes and learning to feel good about myself again. This was a BIG moment for me.

As you can see, a spectacular milestone achieved for me and documented using the newly release Elle's Studio May kit and add on's. If you shop today the kit is only $9.99! There are lots of great elements for the "every day" or you can use them for spectacular milestones too!

Thanks for stopping in today! Happy shopping!

 

 

• Noted stamp
• 
• Price: $24.00

• May 2019 kit
• 
• Price: $9.99

• The Good Life stamp
• 
• Price: $14.99

• Everyday Goodness epoxy stickers
• 
• Price: $4.50

• Everyday Phrases Vol. 2 Stamp
• 
• Price: $14.99

• Beautiful Day 6 x 6 Paper Stack
• 
• Price: $5.50

 

 

Spring Favorites (Elle's Studio)

Two blog posts in one week, amazing given the previous drought! There's something about the added time of blogging that kills me, I'm going to be honest. The work that goes into creating the layout then all the editing and voice over of a process video is so time consuming that the extra twenty minutes to write about it is more than I can cope with some days. Let's face it, most days. But I know that y'all wanna see too so I'm trying to make a more concerted effort. Not everybody is into process videos, I get that. Trust me, I get that, I don't watch them myself... Shhhh!

I'm up over on the Elle's Studio layout that is an "Inspired By" layout. Be sure to stop by the Elle's Studio blog to see who inspired me and what her layout looks like. This really is a scraplift in that I used her asymmetrical grid design and placement of things, I just changed up the color scheme and product. It always amazes me how you can scraplift somebody and has it look so completely different. But the same at the same time.

If you don't follow Elle's Studio, you need to head over to the shop and check out the Large Jane Alpha options; there is a solid, striped letter, polka letters AND there are metal dies to accompany them - saves you from having to fussy cut them! A huge time saver! I layered the hot pink stripes over the yellow for the LG part of the title here. LG, in case you were wondering, is short for Lewis Ginter, the name of the botanical gardens we were at. There was no way that was going to fit on the 4x3 card so I opted for the initials.

The original layout had grid patterned paper as the background with one of the large Jane Alpha I's stamped all the way around the edge to create a border. I loved both so had to "go my own way" to make that work for the color scheme I had going on with this kit and layout. I used the Noted Stamp to create my own grid. It's far from perfectly aligned but I wasn't bothered by that. Most of the imperfections are covered and I like the way that the imperfect grid matches the imperfect stamping on our imperfect date. Instead of the “I” from the Large Jane Alpha Stamp that Daniela used for the inner border, I used two of the phrases with arrows from the The Details stamp set  with a coordinating yellow ink.

The way the yellow, pink and green pop the blue in the photos really makes me happy! It was such a gorgeous day and so special to see the cherry blossoms in bloom so early! It was/is also a bit of a milestone in the re-building of our marriage. Things went to hell pretty darn quickly and we have been working hard since January to learn to communicate again and reclaim the love lost. It's a work in progress but we're making it. Making the effort to do the small things that stopped happening that really are big things. And so the imperfections of the layout reflect the imperfections of life.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depends who you ask, I don't have a process video to go with this layout. God definitely had a hand that, I truly believe. There's so much symbolism in this layout, the photo of us, the fact that the video didn't record... I can't explain it to you. It's been a crazy 2 and a half months, that's all I can say. I hope you are well and that you are nurturing your relationships and responding instead of reacting to life. Little lessons I've learned recently!

Take care!

Glitzing A Spring Layout (ThermOWeb / Echo Park)

Popping in quickly to share with you a spring layout I created for ThermOWeb using some goodies from Echo Park. Every layout needs some bling and what better way to do that than with some Glitz Glitter Gel from ThermOWeb? It really adds some sparkle and shine to this spring layout!

If you haven't checked out the new ThermOWeb products then you have to head over to the website and do so. Last week you will have seen me using the Pixie Spray, a repositionable spray adhesive that lightly tacks your stencils down to your work surface; it is AMAZING! No more shifting stencils and smudged hard work, you get perfect results every time! And that is very desirable when working with this Glitz Glimmer Gel!

The Glitz glimmer gel comes in eight bright and shiny colors and adds just that perfect amount of shimmer to a project. It IS pretty slick so you definitely want to make sure your stencil is tacked down pretty well. Here I have used the Turquoise Sea gel over a lighter shade of turquoise that I lightly brushed on (Shimmerz).You will want liquid adhesive such as Ultra Bond to adhere patterned papers and photos on top of the dry glitter gel.

In addition to the Glitz glitter gel, the other shining star of this layout is the Paige Evans digital cut file! I cut it three times; once to use as a stencil, once in yellow and the final time in green. I used Shimmerz paints through the stencil and painted directly onto the white cardstock. Then I laid the full green cut out on top of that, followed by the fussy cut yellow daffodils. I love the effect this has on the page!

Really there isn't need for much more. Just a few butterflies stamped here and there and a few stickers for some visual interest and to move your eye around the page! Should you be interested in seeing how I actually applied the Glitz glitter gel and how the rest of the layout came together, be sure to head over to my YouTube channel!

Let's Party / Echo Park Paper / Digital Cut File

Hey there scrappy peeps! Have I got a party for you today! Echo Park Paper recently released THE primo birthday collection! There are lots of greater tone on tone B sides, patterned papers that aren't too busy and overpower the photos and story! Fun, bright colors! I mean, what more could you want for a birthday collection!

Three photos and lots of goodies, all on one, bright page! That's birthday happiness right there!

There is even journaling on the page that I was able to sneak onto the body of the letter "R", see it ther? The pops of black stamping scattered through out the layout give some "grounding" to the layout and a solid place for your eye to rest. They provide that weight that balances out the darkness in the photos.

Constructing the layout is easier said than done as you get not only the body of the letters to cut out of your main piece of paper, the background, but I have also color coded the "bits" of the letters. You just drop them on your cutting mat, load the paper into the machine and hit cut. Then all you have to do is adhere them to the body to complete the letter! Easy, eh? I've done the hard work for you!

You can watch the whole process of backing the cut file, piecing the "bits" of the letters and stamping here;

If you are interested in the cut file I used to create this layout, you may download that for free (and personal use only) HERE. You will be taken to DropBox. If you create something with it, I'd love for you to share what you created. You can leave a photo on my scrappy FaceBook page, Suzanna Scraps.

Thanks for stopping in today!

Dreaded Coat / Elle's Studio / Sketch Inspired

Isn't she cute in her Christmas coat?! That "Dreaded Coat"?! LOL!!! This layout was created using a sketch and the bright vibrant January kit from Elle's Studio and add on's from this month. AND if you happen to find yourself in the market for some fresh new sketches, be sure to check out the sale on self-paced classes. You can find them HERE. The classes are 50% off (no coupon necessary) and the sale ends on January 26th. This sketch comes from the "From Sketch to Finish, Volume 4" class and there are 50! Yes, FIFTY sketches. The best part is, if you happen to have a bunch of 6x6 pads and 3x4 cards you need using up but want to create 12x12 layouts - these sketches are PERFECT!! You have to check it out!

Check out that scalloped border? I was pretty pleased with myself coming up with that little diddy! LOL! I used a stamp from the Noted stamp set , stamped it down the page and it creates the perfect "lazy woman's" scallop! And, it's perfect for journaling too! I love when you can find another use for something, don't you?

This layout was created entirely using 6x6 paper and the bits and pieces from the January kit and add on's, other than the 12x12 background piece. That easily, could have been just a white piece of cardstock that I stamped. Or left plain. And that acetate star? To die for!! LOVE them. I seriously, I know I've said it before, am going to need another pack.

It's not a perfect layout.... The border strips aren't lined up perfectly. But I bet you didn't notice that. Because of all the horizontal movement on the page, you don't notice it. Unless you are Type A, highlighted and bolded, as I am, with OCD tendencies... 

Be sure to check out the sale and if you are of the process video watching type, you might like this;

 

Thanks for stopping in today! See you next time!