August 31, 2013

Project Life Week 28...Summer in full swing + documenting the loss of a loved one

Hey there, Happy Weekend!  It's hot, the pool is cool & we're going to enjoy this long last weekend of Summer as much as we can.  

Today I have Week 28 to share of my Project Life.  We had our annual swim party and bonfire with lots of kids.  I didn't take too many other photos for the week so the party photos were good fillers.  
I used lots of the Simple Stories product from some previous Gossamer Blue kits.  Love those warm, Summery colors.
Lots of 4 x 6 photos on this side so I used 3 x 4 filler cards to add some color.
Loved this main, dated insert.  That little Simple Stories postcard was a favorite.
Here I posted a photo that I took last year of my Uncle Bob.  He passed away during this week of my Project Life.  I wanted to post a good photo of him before he got too ill.  Loved this one of him and my aunt with the girls.
This quote 3 x 4 card made it's way onto a 4 x 6 insert.  It was perfect for Jordan's "swiggle" line.
Here we have a photo Eric took while in Denver on business + the weather report.  Hot!
A fun filler card from Simple Stories + a fun photo of Charlie. He'll do anything for a snack.
Party photos of the kids....
More party photos......the girls will love all these photos of them and their friends when they're older.
I have an insert this week that I used to hold the papers for Uncle Bob's funeral.  It was such a lovely service for such a kind hearted man.  I wanted to tell some stories of Bob so I used a piece of vellum to add some typewriter journaling.

It was a sad time for us to lose Uncle Bob.  We will miss him so much......and this is why I scrapbook.  To remember the moments....document our lives....share our stories....take the photos.  Love this hobby so much.

August 30, 2013

My favorite things about the September Gossamer Blue Life Pages Kit....

For Jenny:  the school card and all of the chalkboard looking cards shown today are in the Life Pages Kit and are designed by our in house graphic designers.  

TGIF everyone.  My poor Jordy has had a rough week as a sophomore.  Tons of homework, a new math teacher who doesn't explain stuff, lots of practices and late nights....we're very happy to have a long weekend ahead of us.  

Today I'm sharing some great photos of what you'll be getting in the September Gossamer Blue Life Pages kit & what I love most about this month.  If you're interested in subscribing to the Life Pages Kit or the Main Scrapbook Kit please visit this page to learn more.  All of our kits are designed to be used alone or you can combine kits for a wonderfully coordinated look.  So whether you purchase one kit or all of the kits, you'll be happy to know that everything works well together.  

So first off, I was blown away by the amount of product included in the September Life Pages Kit.  Seriously, there is a LOT of stuff packed into this kit.  I keep my kit on a little tray for the entire month & I challenge myself to use up as much as I can on weekly layouts, pulling little tidbits from my stash also. 
This month Gossamer Blue has a nice focus on the office supply theme with lots of notebook & ledger looking embellishments, tags, calendars, pens/pencils, clips and a few school themed items. You can flip the school items over for a generic theme if you aren't into the school stuff.  You'll love the kits that have Kaitlin Shaeffer's new line (Hello Again) for Carta Bella.  Plus there's so much more!
You can see the stamp set above which is included in the Life Pages kit.  Elle from Elle's Studio absolutely nailed it with the sketches I made for this set.  She totally captured the look I was going for. Below is something I'm especially pumped about.....the label stamp was designed to fit into an address label perfectly.  Here you can see how I stamped a whole column of labels on my Grid Paper Labels.  I just run this sheet through my typewriter when I want some journaling.  Love!
The color scheme is fantastic with the mint, aqua, pinks, yellows and touches of black.  I'm saving the black cards for my back to school pages.  But don't think this is the only color scheme for this month.....I was able to mix and match colors for totally different looks on cards, etc. Our graphic designers did a fantastic job of creating some mixy matchy papers this month. I must mention the quality of our papers too.  I always thought the thickest paper was the best for my Life Pages and now I have a change of heart.  Papers that are very thick create bulk in my albums, especially if you like to embellishment your journaling cards a little bit.  Gossamer Blue has just the right thickness of a nice cardstock weight without being too heavy.  I can still run them through my typewriter, stitch on them, staple, etc and they hold up great. 
All of the embellishments.....oh my!  In addition to all the fantastic journaling cards there are lots of carefully coordinated embellishments.  There are tags, clips, sacks, chipboard accents, alphabets....in just the right quantities that don't leave you with too many of one item....and this helps to keep the price point for the kit just right.  Plus you're able to get a wide variety of products, use them up and then move on to next month's kit. 
The stickers and alphabets....we're talking 2 alphabets which I've almost used up.  The Heidi Swapp one is so perfect.  The little black & white letters are awesome for spelling out small words.  Then there's a full sheet of the My Mind's Eye Cut & Paste stickers and the arrows sheet with different phrases.  Plus you get a sheet of the Cut & Paste chipboard accents.  I've depleted these next to nothing this month.  Faaaannntastic selections!
The journaling cards.....I am a true convert to the squared corners for journaling cards.  Since my photos are printed with square corners, the Gossamer Blue cards coordinate so nicely.  Perfectly & professionally cut and they fit into the pockets nicely.  You'll also get a few printed vellum pieces which were a lot of fun to try this month.  All of the cards are printed on both sides for vertical and horizontal orientation.  Bonus! There's even more great news to come for the journaling cards.  I basically bugged Lori so much that she probably gave in just to quiet me down, ha! This surprise might not come til October though, I'm not sure.  
Now...if all that isn't enough, Gossamer Blue has a fantastic design team dedicated solely to the Life Pages kits.  You'll find Life Pages spreads using just the LP kit....plus you'll find pages using items from the other kits.  You can find all of this inspiration in our galleries at the new website.  I see many of you are posting your layouts too...we've got some talented members!  Thank you for sharing.  Feel free to come visit out new site and join in one some chats too.  

Okay, that's it for today.  Hope you are inspired to get a crackin' on your Life Pages! All September items will be for sale on September 1st...subscribers get to shop for add-ons a day early.

August 29, 2013

Boutique Item...Gray Polka Dot Gift Packaging

Hi all.  As I'm getting back into the swing of things as the girls are back in school, I'll be focusing more on my shop and fun blog posts.  I'll be bringing back the Friday Favorites posts which will include good junk finds, awesome recipes, great Pinterest finds and more.  I'll have more cards and packaging items up on the blog in addition to my Project Life posts.  It's going to be a great Fall season and I hope you'll join me.

When doing a little work for my online business, I realized that I have over 100 items in my shop! Many of those items are staple items that I keep stocked on a regular basis. Other items are little kits & cards & special finds that I put in the shop in very limited quantities.  Sometimes those speciality items sell out quickly & I get emails asking for more quantities.  Sometimes I can accommodate and sometimes it's just a one time deal, depending on quantities of supplies on hand and if I feel like creating more items.  

For those items that are listed in limited quantities, I'm going to start listing them as a Boutique Item.  The Boutique Items will be listings that are very limited in quantities and perhaps a creation that I devoted a little more time to. The Boutique Items may be a special project that I created using a featured product in my shop.  They may be a limited quantity of some great vintage find.  Whatever the case, my hope is to showcase those Boutique Items here on the blog in a special way.  So stay tuned for my Boutique Item featured posts.  

Today's Boutique Item is set of gift sacks that I created using the Gray Polka Dot Gift Packaging up in the shop. With the little kit you get a fun little bundle of supplies to create a unique gift sack for that special present.  Today I created 2 of the gift sacks to hold some notebooks that I created for my two favorite secretaries at the girls' school.  They are nicest ladies & always give a shout out to my girls as they pass through the halls.  They deserve something special.  
 On my gift sacks, I used every little item that is included in the little kit.  I adhered the Dainty Doily to the sack.  Then I used the Small Clothespins in a fun way.....I added double sided tape to the backs of them and adhered them right to the doily.  I tied the gray twine and tiny little silver tag to the Small White Parcel Tag.  I used some white cardstock, a circle punch and wood letter stamps to create the name tags.
 I then placed all of the sequins into the clear cello bag & adhered that to the top of the doily with the silver Washi tape.
 I tucked in the cute notepads (which you'll see in September for the Gossamer Blue release) and they're ready for the girls to take to school.  Boy, doesn't it make you feel good to create a gift for someone special.  I need to do it more often.
I hope you'll enjoy my Boutique Items posts & everything else that is to come this Fall.  I've got a few more Boutique Items up in the shop currently which include my Special Delivery Gift Packaging kit, my Hello Gift Sack Kit and Vellum Pocket Inserts.  You can see them in the main shop HERE.  Have a great day everyone.

August 28, 2013

Project Life Week 27....where I fit 51 photos into my week!

Yep, you read that right.  I fit 51 photos into this week's Project Life.  The week surrounding the 4th of July brings about my mom's birthday, Josey's birthday, July 4th celebrations lots of Summer activities.  It was a huge undertaking deciding where and how to add all the photos but I separated all the photos into their own little sections by activities and slowly but surely I got the week completed.  

I have a full 2 page spread and 3 double sided inserts for this week.  These photos were the everyday happenings and most of the photos of Josey with her friends.  
First up are the inserts in the weekly spread.  I created my usual dated insert with the week # and the dates.  All of my inserts for this week were created using Gossamer Blue kit items from past kits.  
 I used lots of of my handmade journaling card using Fancy Pants papers and accents that I had previously made.  This made it very easy to to pick journaling cards and saved time on adding lots of accents and embellishments.
 Loved adding the Kool-Aid packet the girls used to dye their hair + a saved a few tags from Josey's new swimming suit.
 Another handmade journaling card...
Here we go with the 3 inserts.  As usual, I like to keep my inserts smaller than 12 x 12 if possible.  This way the weekly spread is largest and can be seen. The smaller inserts are sandwiched in between from smallest to largest. 
 This is the smallest insert.  I used a 6 x 12 page protector and just trimmed it down to the height of the birthday card.
 I added some of the wrapping paper from Josey's gifts on the back side as filler.
 Here's insert #2, the front side.  This is all about Josey turning sweet 16.  I inserted some of my favorite photos of Josey from this week + a little flash back photo of the girls on one of Josey's earlier birthdays/July 4th celebrations.
 I typed a special note for Josey.  I now always write the journaling in my albums from my view.
 Love this sweet photo of my Josey Posey.  Little wisps of her strawberry blond hair, sitting by herself working on those smoke ball chains she makes every 4th of July.
 This is the back side of the above insert.  Look at all the dang photos!  I take a ton during the fireworks and I always want to include them all.  I made photo collages using my printer program, selecting the number of photos I want on each 4 x 6 sheet, then adjusting the size until they all fit.  23 whopping photos in this insert.
 I used this pocket insert I created earlier for the main decorative element.  Some sparkly letters & resin stars help add to the patriotic theme with out being too 4th of July-ee.
 The 3rd insert which is an 8 x 10.  I just couldn't help but add in this last photo of the night.  The girls and their friends were all swimming...along with Kara's little brother Coy.  He's quite the ladies' man and didn't bat an eye when it was time to hot tub.  Little stinker, watch out girls!
 I used the 1,2,3,4 to note the number of girls + Coy in big letters.
 This is the back side of the above insert.  Totally random photos from a birthday shopping trip for Josey.  The photos were so bright and colorful, I had to add them to this week.
 I trimmed down an already made journaling card to fit the space.  We hit Target, the Mac makeup booth and Michael's.  I found out that the girls had no idea with Chick-o-Stickers were.  That had to change.  They weren't the biggest fans.
Whew, so glad that these photos are all in the books. Typically these types of weeks are overwhelming so I just put them off.....until it's weeks or months or years down the way and I don't have the big moments accounted for.  I decided to change that and I really, really try hard to complete my inserts at the same time I do the weekly layout.  I love how my album looks with all the smaller pages.  It totally encompasses our lives.  

August 27, 2013

Project Life Album #2 Cover Page...

Today I'm sharing the cover page for my second album of Project Life for 2013.  The photos from this insert were from a fun day at the lake & I didn't have a spot for them in a regular week.  So I thought an entire page dedicated to these fun photos would make a good starting point for album #2 which heads straight into Summer.  It's a one page spread using elements from Simple Stories and Pebbles.  The photos are some of my favorites which just capture the girls' Summer perfectly.  
I had created this 4 x 6 insert earlier and thought it would make a perfect little title insert.  
 Loved the saying on this sticker and the flowers were a bright, fun element.
 Another 4 x 6 insert which notes the journaling about our day at the lake.
Thanks for stopping by today.  Tomorrow I'll be sharing some sneaks of the Gossamer Blue September Life Pages kit & why I love this upcoming month so much.  Stay tuned.  :)

August 23, 2013

Shop update today...

TGIF everyone! Hope you're planning for a great weekend.  My girls are looking forward to relaxing after a long week of 2-a-day practices and their first 2 days of school. I'll be happy to have everyone home for the weekend & plan on doing some grilling and baking.  I've also got new, fresh paint and I'm so very excited to start painting a few rooms in the house + the interior of the Airstream.  I seriously love to paint.  Oh, and I have a new color for the front door just in time for Fall.  

I've got a few new items added to my online shop & I'll be adding a few things over the weekend too.  I'm getting back into the swing of work stuff now that the girls are back in school.  Today I've added a few notebooks.....

 Some new kits perfect for scrapbooking, Project Life, packaging, etc.....
 This fun little pocket insert with a machine stitched vellum pocket.  I've had fun using these in my Project Life pages this Summer.
 And a few gift sacks collections are trickling into the shop....back to school time always gets me in the gift giving mood.  These little kits are perfect for creating some one of a kind packaging for cards, little gifts or treats. I've kept back a few for myself so that I can add some cards to them for Fall birthdays.
Speaking of cards, I've some up in the shop now and will be weeding out my big stash over the next few weeks.  I love to add a stash for my mom and Eric's mom for Christmas so that's an idea to think about. I just keep a box with dividers with their names on them and just add to them each time I make a set of cards or notebooks.  Perfect gifts!

Okay, I'm off to get ready for the weekend.  I'm bound and determined to make Summer last just a bit longer.

August 19, 2013

Simply Playful Accents class give away....

Edit:  Someone asked "Do you use a typewriter to type your titles to those little cards? Just wondering but please let me know. I want to do something like that!".....Could you please let me know some more specifics?  I'm not quite certain what you're referring to.  Are you talking about in these class photos?  Another blog posts?  If you're talking about my Project LIfe inserts, yes I use my typewriter a lot to type the journaling.  Glad to help....just want to make sure I understand your question.  


Edited:  The winner of the free class is Charlotte Brochu. Congratulations!  I will be emailing you today with the class information.  


Today I have a fun prize to share.  Please leave a comment at the end of this post and I will choose a random winner from the first 25 comments.  Comment must include your full name and email address. Winner will be announced within the next few days.  



Up for grabs is a free class session to Angie Gutshall's new class called Simply Playful Accents.  


Here's a little bit of the class description:

Would you like to add a bit of fun and whimsy to your layouts? What if you could do it in a way that was not only fun and playful, but also simple! In Simply Playful Accents, instructor Angie Gutshall will share more than 20 ideas for using items in your supply stash to add a little bit of pizazz to your layouts. You'll receive 20 emails with before-and-after images, each showing how just adding a little accent here and there can take your layouts from blah to beautiful! You'll also receive four bonus emails with additional ideas and inspiration. Angie even shares her layout-creating process in a fun video tutorial!

Sounds like a fun class, enjoy!!

Related Posts with Thumbnails