Pretty Little Studio | Oh Yeah

Hey Guys, how about a new mixed media layout?  I used acrylic inks and lots of splatters to make this page, brand-new on the Pretty Little Studio blog today :)

Be happy!

xoxo

Project 12 October

Wow, I actually have my October Project 12 layout completed and it's only the beginning of November!  I'm on a role!

This life pages spread uses all Gossamer Blue kits from October.  The left side of the layout features lots of exclusive 4x4 cards from GB.  To change it up I put the title card in the bottom left pocket.  I think the Around Here card is one of my favorites from the October kits.  I opted to keep one of the 2x2 pockets clear to keep the see-thru effect from September.  The Pink Paislee card stock and acetate die cuts were really put to use this month.

The right side of the layout is a repeat of the die cuts and wood veneer from the left side, but I opted to give the 3x4 veneer card a white wash with spray ink (painted on with a brush).  The Dear Lizzy rub-ons didn't stick to the wood all that great, so to "antique" it a bit I just added the ink over top. Turned out kinda pretty, right?

The insert for this month is dedicated completely to Halloween.  We attended two parties this year and the Themed Add-on provided me with plenty of items to make an entire insert, front and back.  I used a Gold Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Marker on the wood veneer Halloween.  I'm not sure I love the way it looks, but can't change it now ;)  It's handmade people, things happen :)

This month's Life Pages info:

• photos were taken with items in the page protectors
• left side page protector from We R Memory Keepers*
• right side page protector from Becky Higgins*
• insert page protector from American Crafts*
• hand-journaling with AC Precision Pen .03*
• Tiny Attacher from Tim Holtz*
• All Life Pages cards and embellishments from Gossamer Blue 
• (October Add-on #3 still available HERE at the time this post was written)
• Items marked with an * were purchased by me
• Kits were provided to me by Gossamer Blue as part of their Design Team.  The opinions expressed about said products are solely my own.

Don't forget I will be celebrating 250 blog posts and 250 Instagram followers very soon!  Keep checking back for info on the giveaway!

Project 12 September

I finally finished my Life Pages for September.  Finally.  I started these pages at Craft Night with my girlfriends and then ran out of steam when doing the insert.  But now it's done and while I'm still in the mood, I'll go ahead and work on the October pages.

Here's the left and right sides, featuring September Life Pages kits from Gossamer Blue:

My mama's birthday, lots of sunglasses selfies and tiny moments with my girly.

The insert is all about our visit to an awesome pumpkin patch.  I used October kits for a pumpkin theme.  That LP card with Veni Vedi Amavi was probably my favorite in the October LP kits.  The sequins are from the September kits.

I didn't do as much embellishing on the photos for the insert because a)  I wanted to get this done and b)  the photos are pretty self-explanatory :)

That's a wrap for September P12!

Gossamer Blue Blog Hop

*This is one of two posts for today; you can find my AWDML post below

It's the 15th and that means it's blog hop time for Gossamer Blue!  Yaaaa-hoooooo!  This month I am sharing my Project 12 spread for the month of August.  For the majority of 2015 I have used the corresponding month kit for my Project 12 layouts, but September kits were just too good to put on the shelf!  I've mentioned before in my Project 12 posts that I am contemplating going to the weekly approach for 2016 and I'm pretty sure that's a done deal.  The Gossamer Blue life pages kits have a ton of cards that I want to use but never have enough room!  Here's a look at what I created for Project 12 August.

I used several kits from GB including the Life Pages Kit, LP Main Add-on and LP Add-on #3, plus the alpha's from the scrapbook Main Add-on.  Take a closer look at each page below.

We took a weekend trip to Denver so the insert for this month is only photos from that trip.

The front is on the left and the back of the insert on the right.  I just realized my alpha stickers got a bit messed up when I photographed them--I promise it says "aquarium" below Denver :)

The page protectors are from We R Memory Keepers (layout left side and insert) and Becky Higgins (layout right side).  I typed up my journaling for the insert using my vintage Hermes 3000.  It's been a while since the Hermes and I had a date, I think it's time she finds a home in my craft room instead of in the basement. (Yes, it is completely necessary to italicize Hermes when I type it, she's that special. Ha!)  Additional stamping was done using the Alphalicious stamp set from Paper Smooches and Sunflower Ink from Lawn Fawn.  As per my Project 12 so far this year, photo stamping done using the Shimelle date stamp and StazOn ink.

Please head on to the adorable and talented Joy Taylor's blog!  A full list of blog hop participants is below, but if you encounter a broken link or any other issues along the hop, please feel free to start back at the Gossamer Blue blog HERE.

Have a lovely day!
Alex Hunter
Andrea Gray
Anabelle O'Malley
Brenda Smith
Brenda Weaver
Caylee Grey
Chantal Philippe
Diane Payne
Emily Spahn
Eunyoung Lee
Jill Cornell
Jill Keller
Joy Taylor
Kathleen Graumüller
Katie Ehmann
Kellie Winnell
Kelly Xenos
Michelle Wedertz
Michelle Wooderson
Olatz Garaiyurrebaso
Patricia Roebuck
Rebecca Luminarias
Sandra Dietrich
Sian Fair

Project 12: 7

I completed by July Project 12 layout using Life Pages kits from Gossamer Blue.   Here's the 12x12 two page spread.

Individual photos of each 12x12 pocket page:

July also has one insert, this is a photo of the front and back of the approx. 7x12 insert.

I prefer to use pocket pages from We R Memory Keepers as I find them to be the best quality and most consistent pocket size.  The insert this month is from Project Life brand and while I like the tons of options for page set up and insert size, I find that the pockets themselves are a bit inconsistent in size and tend to tear a bit (which is why there is washi tape on one edge in the photo above).  Just sharing some personal preferences :)

I just checked the Gossamer Blue store and saw that there a few July Life Pages kits still available for purchase!  Click HERE to do a bit of shopping, grab a kit or three and get busy creating!

Gossamer Blue Inspiration Blog Hop

Happy Blog Hop Day!  There are tons of beautiful projects on the Hop this month, created to inspire you to use up those amazing August kits from Gossamer Blue.

I used the Life Pages kits for my June Project 12 spread.  I let the exclusive cards be the focal point this month, limiting the embellishing compared to other months.  Here's the left side:

Funny story:  I was in my hometown for my birthday this year, and my mom ordered me a cake from the local grocery store.  Well, let's just say cake decorating isn't their strong point.  I found it hilarious!

The right side includes the GB DT announcement from June 15.  To say I'm excited to be on this DT for another term is a complete understatement.  Also included is my girly's first dance class and some outside play.

Next is the first insert for June, all about my sweet nephew Super Jase.  It isn't a great photo but it's a memory I want to keep forever.  I printed the journaling on the background paper, just to change it up.

These photos show the front and back of the second June insert.  Yes, that's me riding the squirrel cages at the carnival.  FYI:  I'm officially too old for carnival rides.  It took about an hour for my stomach to settle after it was over.

I have a few photos with the main pages + inserts:

Thanks for checking out my Life Pages spread!  Click HERE to go the lovely Kasia's blog next.  If you encounter a broken link start over at the Gossamer Blue blog HERE.  There's also a list of all the participants below. Happy Hopping!
Alex Hunter

Anabelle O'Malley

Andrea Gray

Brenda Smith

Diane Payne

Emily Spahn

Erin Taylor

Eyoung Lee

Felicitas Mayer

France Wisniewski

Heather Leopard

Jill Cornell

Jill Keller

Kasia Przybyt

Kathleen Graumuller

Kellie Winnell

Kelly Xenos

Laura Rahel Crosby

Michelle Wedertz

Michiko Kato

Olatz Garaiyurrebaso

Patricia Roebuck

Rebecca Luminarias

Sian Fair

Yana Smakula

Project 12: 5

May was incredibly busy but lacking in photos.  Apparently I was too busy to snap some pics along the way...but I had enough to make a two-page spread for my Project 12 album.

I used May kits from Gossamer Blue and the exclusive Life Pages cards were pretty dreamy.  I love the orange 5 on the month card, just the right pop of color on the white to draw your eye in.  The left side page protector is from Becky Higgins and the right side is from We R Memory Keepers.  I have to say the 4x4 squares mixed with the 3x4 pockets made my heart go pitter-patter.

I try to set my spread up chronologically, although that doesn't work every month.  For May the first part of the month is on the left and the second part on the right.  So it worked out in that sense, but the photos aren't in chronological order.

I'm continuing with the Shimelle date stamp and jet black Stazon ink.  It's so handy to date my photos with the stamp as soon as they are printed, allowing me to go back and journal much more quickly because the photos are already prepped.  The GB 4x4 square cards were originally 4x6, cropped down to fit the pocket.  I just love it when you can crop journaling cards and not lose any of the pretty!

My only embellishing this month is in the form of items placed on the outside of the page protectors, primarily Maggie Holmes stickers and Thickers from the May kits.  They just fit perfectly for my May spread.  PROUD AUNT MOMENT:  My sweet niece has her tuition and books paid at a stellar university, because she is just incredibly perfect in every way (and super-smart).  She's contemplating pre-med and if you knew her you would say DO IT.  She's just amazing and I was at the hospital when she was born and well, I can't love her any more than I already do.  Ok, now that I'm crying my eyes out....

ANOTHER PROUD AUNT MOMENT:  My sweet nephew Manny is in desert training right now. His commitment to serving our country is beyond impressive.  I love him and my heart swells with pride whenever I think of him.  Ack, the tears!  Moving on...

How's your Life Pages project?  I'm already contemplating 2016 and doing a weekly 6x8 album. I have so many cards left over from my GB Life Pages kits every month!  I think I could take the same approach and work on this album once a month, but do a bit more embellishing in a 6x8 album, using more of the cards.  And I already have tons of page protectors.  So...maybe?

Be creative and happy my friends!

Project 12: 4

It took a bit but I finally got my April Project 12 layout completed.  I used the April Life Pages Kits from Gossamer Blue, with a few extra's I saved from the March Kits (sold out).

The Easter banner and wood veneer peeps are Gossamer Blue exclusives from the March Life Pages kits.  Aren't they adorable?  Everything else used came from the April Kits (some are still available!). The JUMP photo really is me making a feeble attempt at running and jumping when I was out for a walk with friends, haha!  My friend Rebekah at Life Of B took the photo (you should read her blog, she takes amazing pics!).  The swinging photos are in one of 2 extra inserts for April.  I've been digging the inserts lately!

The girly spent some time with Nana and Grampy this month, and she got to be in a parade!  Doesn't she look like a little Laura Ingalls Wilder in that pioneer dress?  We also had some beautiful blooms in the backyard in April.  Unfortunately, now it looks like a hot mess out back, but it was pretty for a little bit.  I started a new crafty thing called Pocket Letters in April (read more HERE) and I'm totally addicted.

The inserts are 4x4 pockets from Becky Higgins.  I kind of love that size.

The hubs and I checked out a record pressing plant this month--he loves vinyl.

This is an 8.5x11 page protector that I trimmed down so I could include Easter cards and some letter's from my sweet Manny (my nephew who joined the military).  

I'm still enjoying this project immensely; I like adding the date to my photos using a Shimelle date stamp and StazOn ink, and then a few words about what happened during the month.  I think adding smaller inserts is a perfect solution for me, plus I like the variety in my album.  Because I do my pocket pages monthly instead of weekly, I have plenty of room in my album to add in ephemera, letters, cards, extra photos--just about anything--to finish my monthly story.

Project 12: 3

I'm a bit late with the Project 12 post this month and I apologize!  My goal was to have the layout completed and ready for blogging in the first week of the following month.  This time around that didn't happen.  Oops.

I used the March Life Pages kits from Gossamer Blue to complete this spread.  Tons of goodies in those kits and if you aren't a subscriber to the Gossamer Blue kits you really are missing out.  They are filled with exclusives you absolutely cannot buy anywhere except in those kits.

I started by making the two full-size pages and then realized I was going to need an insert.  Even without including the girly's birthday party in the Project 12 I still needed an insert!  Life just gets busier and busier it seems.  I used rub-ons and stickers from My Mind's Eye to embellish the title card.  I still love the Shimelle date stamp from an older Gossamer Blue kit and continued stamping directly on the photos and then on the journaling card using Staz On ink.

Close-ups of each page to show a bit more detail and journaling.  I'm continuing with a more simple approach to this album in order to just get it done!  If I do too much I get caught up in the details and then burn out.  Because I still scrapbook 12x12 pages I don't feel this album needs as much embellishing.  This is just a snapshot of our lives.

The insert page, front and back.  Just a few more details from March I didn't want to leave out.

How's your monthly memory keeping going?

Project 12:2

I finished up my Project 12 spread for February earlier this week.  I used Gossamer Blue February Life Pages kits for this layout.

This month has an 8x8 Project Life insert holding Valentine's from Miss Q's friends as well as a few notes I received from friends.  This photo shows the spread with the insert front.

This photo shows the insert back.  I used a few binder clips from an older kit to keep items in place inside the insert (how many times can I use "in" in a sentence?).

I used washi strips from Simple Stories to date and document on the photos.  Cards are Gossamer Blue exclusives.  The Love This stamp on the title card is another exclusive from Gossamer Blue.  Here's the right side up close:

And now the left:

The enamel dots are on the outside of the pockets.  I also realized I left a word out in my jounaling!

And here's the insert:

That's our February!  I'll post the March Project 12 layout in early April.

Hope your weekend is amazing!  Our weather is supposed to be very Spring-like, and the girly is turning 3!  

Project 12:1

A few years back, Gossamer Blue added Life Pages to their kit line-up, gorgeous 3x4 and 4x6 cards designed by Traci Reed that coordinate with the monthly kits.  I immediately jumped on board adding the Life Pages kit to my monthly subscription, and I made my first attempt at doing a year-long project to document our lives on a regular basis.  Back then it was more of a monthly project, titled Project 12, and it worked great for me.

For 2014 I decided to do a weekly approach, as Gossamer Blue had added some amazing Life Pages design team members (Michelle W., read her blog HERE!), and I was SO INSPIRED!  I jumped in with enthusiasm, ready to create this fabulous album for my girly!  And then I stopped.  It wasn't fun anymore, I was having trouble filling all those pockets, some weeks I didn't even take a single photo. Bleh.

Fast forward to January 2015:  the desire to get back on track with Life Pages hit me when I opened the beautiful January Kits from Gossamer Blue.  And that's when I realized:  hey, why did I stop doing the monthly project?

Here's the Why and the Why It Works for Me behind Project 12:

• I'm using photos that don't always make it on a scrapbook page
• Telling more of the daily life story
• Miss Q gets a monthly play-by-play of her childhood
• It doesn't detract from my first love:  12x12 scrapbook layouts
• It keeps our memories fresh
• A two-page spread takes hardly any time to put together

My approach is rather simple, as I already receive the Life Pages kits each month.  I always added at least one LP kit to my monthly purchase as a subscriber, and as a DT member I can choose to add those kits on as well.  I like that each month is a new color story, so every two page spread in my Project 12 album will have it's own colors and/or theme.  For my Project 12 cover page I used the January kits which included some 2015 cards.

I like to add embellishments on top of the page protector, so I'll be photographing my pages in the protectors.  I get a few glares sometimes :)

My One Little Word this year is Go, so I had to make reference to it on the cover page!  Read more about One Little Word HERE and HERE.

Here's my January pages, up first is the left side:

And now the right:

My pages will mostly be a 50/50 mix of the LP cards and photos. I'm using a Project Life album and page protectors by Becky Higgins as I already had a box of them from my failed attempt at the weekly approach.  I considered switching to We R Memory Keepers albums and page protectors, but decided that if I use what I already have it allows me to buy more stuff for the pages, haha!  I like adding Thickers, flair, stickers, etc., on top of the page protectors, as some of the dimensional embellies don't fit in the pockets.  Some Thickers do fit in the pocket, like the Dear Lizzy letters I used in this spread.

I found my Shimelle (by American Crafts) date stamp from an older Gossamer Blue kit in my stash, and I like that's it just the date, so that will be my go-to for dating cards and photos.  StazOn ink stamps great on photos and stickers, so I'll be using that as well.

I'll share my monthly layout around the first week of each month.

Thanks for reading this whole post, I know it was a long one but I just have so much to say about memory keeping in the monthly format!