Back to School

While I was on blogging hiatus, there was a fun YouTube hop that happened, full of back to school layouts and inspiration. I pre-filmed so I could participate, and this is what I came up with! Scroll down for the video, and then make sure to view the video description for a full list of the other AMAZING ladies that participated. ;)

Silly Boy: Process Video

Oh, this boy. And a new camera.

And some lovely, lovely mixed media experimenting. That’s how this layout came about, and it was my first layout using my kit for July from How to Kill A Kit With Style! I shared my kit in fill HERE in this video, but in today’s video I’m showcasing the mixed media technique that I tried for the first time. And it turned out really well!

The stencils are from Ranger/Tim Holtz, the mists are from Studio Calico, Tattered Angels, and Heidi Swapp. And those super fun stickers are from BasicGrey (sigh, sob!).

The video is below, you you can go straight to my YouTube channel HERE. See you there!

New Friend: Using Older Supplies

Ya’ll. Dill Blossom from SEI. Remember that one?

It was practically a classic from the moment it was released, and yet, it never was mine until last year. Funny how that works! In my new Age Before Beauty series on YouTube, I pull out some of the oldest products in my stash and give them a fresh spin.

So, Dill Blossom it is. And an amazing retro cut file from Paige Evans (Silhouette design ID 294465). Somehow, we end up with a retro modern layout that I love. AND… it’s for the boys. :)
You can see the video HERE on my channel, or down below. If you enjoy it, I’d love a thumbs up or for you to subscribe. See you there!

Sisters

We live in Texas, where Blue Bonnet season is a thing. This is new to me since we have only been in Indiana for a year, so of COURSE I needed Blue Bonnet kid pictures! My brother took them, and they turned out amazing.

This is the first one of those photos to make it into an album, and this background paper from the Horizon collection by Paige Evans and Pink Paislee was the absolute PERFECT color. I used lots of the Floral Ephemera from the same collection and a Silhouette Cut File (also by Paige Evans) called Dipped Leaves.

I did lots of mixed media on the background and then covered it up… LOL! But, oh well. I love how it turned out in the end. Thanks for taking a peek, and be sure to check out Horizon!

Lego Festival

There are a few things in life that are very easy choices.  Having coffee every morning, for example.  Also, when the local mall puts on a free Lego Festival, you go!  Especially if you have Lego lovers in your home.  And I do!  As a mom of 4, I’ve been a member of the Lego injury-in-the-dark club for at least 8 years.  Ha!

Seriously, though, this festival was pretty cool.  Amazing life-sized Lego creations that took thousands of legos to build (and must have weighed a ton)!  We took a couple of trips there during the month-long event, and I use a few of my favorite photos on this layout.

I started with the idea of bold colors to accommodate the colors of my photos, and chose the background paper from Echo Park and the flowers from some ancient Jenni Bowlin that has been in my scrap drawer forever.  Some leftover arrows from a recent Silhouette cut brought everything together.  I like that it’s an unexpected combo.

I used some white acrylic paint on the background to highlight and soften, and a few droplets of mist just for fun. 

Thanks for taking a peek!

Smiles, and Lots of Them!

Ok, so… I’m apparently a negligent blogger.  I’ve been creating, but we added a new baby to the family, renovated a house top to bottom, and moved twice all in the last 18 months.  Somehow, the blogging never fit into this crazy year!  Imagine that!

So now I have 4 kids, a house that is 95% finished but needs constant cleaning (refer back to the 4 kids), and a tiny scrapbook nook that is fully functioning.  No more excuses!  I am stretching my blogging legs as we speak. 

This layout is one that I created for my albums a few months ago.  I mostly scrap in chronological order, and I’m about 18 months behind, so I’m reliving 2015 with each layout. I started this one with some white cardstock and mist, then dug into my scrap drawer for some bits to form the two columns along the edges. 

This photo is of my kiddos and husband on a 3 wheel bike we rented for a Saturday outing in Sofia, Bulgaria (where we lived at the time).  We had done this before, and when it was time to move back to the USA, we let the kids each choose one final activity.  My oldest chose these bikes (and not to worry, the baby didn’t actually ride.  He only sat there while the bike was still.  I needed my photo op!)

The die cut doily is hard to see in photos, but I tried to highlight it with some Enamel Accents from Inkessentials.  These might be my favorite new things to add as a finishing touch to a page.  The flowers are from Echo Park and Crate Paper, and the bicycle is BasicGrey. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy the lovely weather and pop back in again soon! 

Alyssa