Wonderful

Gossamer Blue... the October kits are just. so. lovely.  This is my main kit only layout.

(click on photo to enlarge)

Included in the main kit are some fabulous die cuts from Teresa Collins.  This collection was one of the best I've seen in quite a while, lots of great elements that could be used in a variety of ways.  The bicycle paper just worked perfectly for this layout, so I used a larger piece and just a few snippets of other papers to mat the photo.  

Add-ons are available to non-subscribers tomorrow (10/1) at noon central!

Gossamer Blue Collections NOW AVAILABLE!

I'm so stoked for Lori and Gossamer Blue!  The three AMAZING, FABULOUS collections are now available in the Gossamer Blue Store!  Snatch them up while you can, these beauties will surely sell out fast.

Some of my favorites from each collection listed below.  Up first, Gramercy Road!

Next up is On My Desk (puffy stickers!  childhood flashback moment ahead):

Last is the PERFECT Christmas Collection, Get Happy.

Get to shopping my friends, all three lines are the perfect addition to any stash!  Hope you had a fantastic weekend, I'm off to shop with my BFF Winif tomorrow.  What a perfect start to the week :)

Posting to the GB Gallery

I thought a how-to on using the Gossamer Blue Gallery could be useful as uploading can be intimidating!  Not just the process of posting your work, but the idea of putting yourself out there can be way scary.  I can relate 100%!  As of just a few months ago I was a subscriber myself!  So here's my quick-n-easy way of getting your work into the gallery....

1. Remind yourself that you are amazingly talented and create awesome projects that other people would LOVE to see and be inspired by :)
2. Go to www.gossamerblue.com and log in with your user name and password.
3. Click on gallery along the top of the page, the scroll down past the photos until you see the numerous gallery categories.
4. Don't get frustrated and give up.  ha!
5. There are several choices in the gallery categories....as a subscriber I always posted in Album Challenge because my amazing Fairy Godmother Lori rewards her subscribers for posting 4 projects a month for 5 months in a row with a FABULOUS album!
6. Ponder how awesome #5 is and choose Album Challenge.
7. Scroll down past the photos again and you'll see a box where you can choose your file.  After cropping my pics I usually save it to my desktop because it's easier to find for uploading :)
8. Image Title (read: layout title), goes in the next box, a description if you would like to add one, and then, MOST IMPORTANT, the keywords; type the kit month and year here so Lori knows you're participating in the album challenge!
9. Sit back and check out how AWESOME YOU ARE!

I asked a few of the other Gossamer Blue Design Team members on some thoughts about uploading and Kasia shared a few very helpful links for photographing your layout.  Check out this one written by Kasia here, and another by Magda here.  The darling Maria gave this recommendation:   

If I didn't have Photoshop, I would definitely use PicMonkey. It's important to adjust highlights in addition to exposure. My goal is to have bright, clear photos, so I photograph on a white board (less than $5) in front of a window. I get lovely results with PicMonkey and 100% recommend it!

So are you ready to go for it?  See ya in the gallery!

Today

• Find new uses for the freezer drawer handle (I woke up to this)
• Music Class
• Drop Stuff
• Eyeliner
• Selfies
• Make Stuff
• Post Stuff
• Chiro
• Be Awesome

You Are Loved

This lovely layout featuring Miss Q and my Mama was made using the September Gossamer Blue kits.  This layout was made entirely from the Main Kit (still available here), with just a few little touches from my own stash:  twine and ribbon.  The two tags on the upper right side are from the free printables you get as a Gossamer Blue subscriber!  Just print and fussy cut or use a punch and you have a whole 8.5x11 sheet of additional embellishments.

We had a big weather change start yesterday, Fall is definitely in the air and I LOVE IT.  It's my favorite time of the year....some people think Springtime is so romantic, but autumn has always made me want to fall in love.  No wonder I have a wedding anniversary next month, haha!  Happy Almost-Fall and have a wonderful start to your weekend!

She & Him

Young love.

(click on photo to see larger)

Ok, not really :)  But if we lived in a world where we could pick our child's spouse, this little guy has won the mama over already.  I adore him, and he lets me hug and squeeze and plant smooches on his face.  So what's not to love, Miss Q?  haha!  And his mama?  She's the best thing ever...a bestie for me I'll cherish always.  Yeah, we're pretty lucky, me and my Q-girl.  We found some people that just get us.

I made this layout with the fab Gossamer Blue September kits.  I know they are sold out, but the Main Kit looks available still, along with the Life Pages kit.  Subscribing to either the Main Kit or LP kit gets you a chance at add-ons a day early.  So worth it.

There's Always That One Sister

I had to make a layout with my three sister's in it.  HAD TO.  The photos are from my Q's 2nd Birthday Party and I think they show what a goofball dork I can be.  I'm the baby out of 6 kids, and I am the youngest child in every sense of the word.  My oldest sisters, Susan and Michell, were like moms to me, while Amy and I just kind of steered clear of each other until she moved out and we had some space to miss each other ;)  Now we're the best of friends, but growing up she was definitely the mean older sister!  And the tallest.  And skinniest.  And blonde-est.  (no jealousy there, right?).  So here's the 4 girls and our Mama, who hates having her picture taken.

I used Gossamer Blue September kits, which included the awesome Jen Hadfield gold dot stickers, and those cork camera's from Shimelle are SO AWESOME.  Given the color range of our clothes in the photos, I wanted to stick mainly with neutrals for the layout.  The stamped black frames around the cameras are a Gossamer Blue exclusive stamps for September (designed by the amazing Mish Wooderson, you must click on her name and read her blog!).  

A few randoms about my sister's:

• Susan and Michell used to fight like crazy, which included tossing each other down the stairs.
• At one point Michell lived across the street from my parents and Susan lived 1.5 blocks away.
• Susan and Amy still live in my hometown, as does our Mom.
• Michell lives only 30 minutes from me.  We can't seem to get away from each other (in a good way)!  Which puts Michell and I only 1.5 hours from our sisters and mom.
• Our mom made Amy babysit for Susan's and Michell's kids.  All the time.
• I was the baby so I never had to babysit.  Ha!  Probably the main reason for that was because I accidentally gave my niece April a concussion while babysitting :-/  In my defense, I was playing with her and she fell off my shoulders!  She still has a dent in her head.  Oh, and there's that one time I had to watch my niece Angie and I fed her crunchy mac-n-cheese.  I still can't cook.
• Age differences:  Amy is 5 years older than me, Michell is 14 years older and Susan is 16 years older than me.  
• When I was about 6, I punched Amy and knocked the wind out of her.  That's what she gets for being a meany-pants!  And for french-braiding my hair so tight I could barely blink.

Have a great weekend!

Rewind September Edition

My very first blog post written as a Design Team member is up on the Gossamer Blue blog!  Click the link below:

http://www.gossamerblue.com/rewind-september-edition/

Thanks for looking!

Tiny Tutu

I have had the time of my life with my September Gossamer Blue kits!  This is my first official month documenting with Gossamer Blue as a Design Team member.  AND IT IS GREAT!  Being on the DT gives me a creative outlet like no other!  There are no words to thank my fairy godmother Lori for this opportunity so a simple thank you will have to suffice: Thank you Lori, thank you.

For my first layout with the DT, I created a page starring The Amazing Q (of course, wink-wink).

click photo to enlarge

This layout uses products from the September Main Kit only.  The background papers are from American Crafts and Jen Hadfield--how could I not use gold glitter and gold foil polka dots together?!?!?! The Thickers and kraft labels are also from American Crafts, along with a few other stickers.  The foil hearts and geotag are Pink Paislee Solstice collection.  A few other papers from the main kit are layered behind the photo.  I printed this photo with my Canon Selphy printer, which has to be one of the best investments I ever made.  

The September kits go live for subscribers on August 31 at noon central time.  Non-subscribers can purchase at noon on September 1.  The September kits are some of the best from Gossamer Blue so far, although I tend to think that every month :) Happy Crafting, and check out the Gossamer Blue Blog for daily doses of inspiration from some of the most amazing ladies!