AUTHENTIQUE: A "Spirited" Two-Page Layout with Kiwi Lane Designs

Today I have a great two-page layout using Authentique's Spirited Collection and Kiwi Lane Templates. In this layout, I wanted to showcase quite a few photos from last year's pumpkin patch visit.

I started with two sheets of Twisted, then layered Oblique and Labyrinth papers that were cut using the Scallops Templates and Paisley Place Templates from Kiwi Lane. I then added large sections of both Conjure and Ominous as my photo "mats".

I then cut a cute bracket using Caution and the Kiwi Lane Tiny Bracket Templates.

Those pumpkins are actually balloons! I flipped the Kiwi Lane Tiny Celebrate Templates upside down, and then added a die cut stem. to make them more "pumpkin-y". Some of the pieces are popped up using some black craft foam and my Xyron 1.5" sticker maker. I love using foam that matches the colors I'm using in my layouts so that it doesn't stand out.

Then I added a lot of details using Authentique's Details 12x12 cardstock sticker, Components 6x12 paper die cut, Petite Diction mini word sticker, and the Stamp Blocks 4x12 paper die cuts. I also scattered a bunch of die cut sequins and stars around the layout.

I love how each page both works together, but can also work separately as well. The Kiwi Lane Templates make it easy to pull together.

Hope you have a few more ideas on how to make your own fun layouts using Authentique and Kiwi Lane.

 

Supplies Used:

Authentique's Spirited Collection: Labyrinth, Ominous, Twisted, Caution, Dancette, Conjure, Oblique, Foundation One distressed solid, Details 12x12 cardstock sticker, Components 6x12 paper die cut, Petite Diction mini word sticker, Stamp Blocks 4x12 paper die cuts, 6x6 Bundle

Kiwi Lane Templates: Kiwi Lane Scallops Templates, Kiwi Lane Paisley Place Templates, Kiwi Lane Tiny Bracket Templates, Kiwi Lane Tiny Celebrate Templates

Other Supplies: Distress Ink (Black Soot), Xyron 1.5" Sticker Maker, Xyron Mega Runner, Xyron Double-Sided High Tack 1/2" Tape, craft foam, Spellbinders Orchard Harvest Tags & Accents (pumpkin leaves), Mama Elephant Creative Cuts (Confetti), Prima Collection (Flower), ZIG Wink of Stella pen

BOO! from Xyron, Core'dinations and Petaloo

The Xyron Design Team is working alongside of our friends at Core'dinations Cardstock and Petaloo to create some amazing projects for you this week. 

Make sure that you check out all of their Facebook pages, as well as the designers' blogs. There are a ton of prizes to be had each day!

Today, I am showcasing a fun Halloween banner that I created for my front door. I love the distressed look that the Tim Holtz Kraft-Core Core'dinations cardstock gives to this project. To create this, I cut out each section using the Lawn Fawn Lawn Cuts Stitched Party Banner in both banner sizes, as well as the circle.

I then ran those sections through various embossing folders, then sanded them with the Core'dinations Sand-It Set. This way, the great kraft shows through in various sections. Flowered sections are layered with Authentique Paper (Conjure, Components die cuts), and Petaloo flowers (Embossed Mulberry Flowers -Daisies/Chartreuse, Forget me Nots-Soft Lavender). They are attached using Xyron's Double-Sided High Tack 1/2" Tape.

 

The letter shapes are created in a similar fashion. I started with the banners, layering them with dimensional adhesive that I made using my Xyron 3" Sticker Maker and some craft foam. Then, I ran the Petaloo Crochet Fancy Trim (purples).  through my Xyron 1.5" Sticker Maker and attached it to the smaller banner. Added the embossed circle and a DIY Thicker made orange with Neon WOW! Glitter. You could create this same effect by running the front of your alphas through any of your Xyron products and adding glitter. 

Lastly, I strung each of the banners onto some twine in my stash. One trick, if you have a banner like this, you can always tape the back of the string/twine/ribbon in place. No one will see it, and your banner pieces won't shift around.

This was a super fun project to make!! Hope you enjoyed this and all of the other projects this week. Joy over at Joy's Life and Marcia Dehn-Nix have both created some amazing items!

Supplies Used:

Xyron: 3" Sticker Maker, Double-Sided High Tack 1/2" Tape, 1.5" Sticker Maker

Petaloo: (Embossed Mulberry Flowers - Daisies/Chartreuse, Forget me Nots-Soft Lavender, Crochet Lace Fancy Trim-Purples)

Core'dinations: Tim Holtz Kraft-Core Nostalgic Collection paper pad

Additional Supplies: Lawn Fawn Lawn Cuts Stitched Party Banners, Authentique Paper (Conjure, Circles and Scallops die cuts), American Crafts (DIY Thickers, Wow! Extra Fine Glitter-Neon), craft foam, twine, Darice Embossing Folders (Wood Grain, Interlocking Circles), Cricut Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Love Triangles, Swiss Dots)

Erin Condren Life Planner Review** 2014-2015

This is a much different post from my normal crafty posts**. Mainly, because I want to share my love for planners. I have two planners from High School that I know are still in my parent's attic, where every page is filled with assignments, babysitting gigs, shifts from my restaurant job (I still miss that place!), and all of the school and friend activities that I did. I looked at them fondly the last time I saw them, and couldn't believe how busy I was. It was slightly crazy. 

So in 2013, when I was looking for a planner, I checked them all out. I looked at ARC planners, the small ones that were at all of the local box and bookstores, I pinned printables, I created documents, etc. I settled on the Erin Condren Life Planner (my referral link for $10 off) after a ton of research and the recommendations of a few of my fellow crafty friends (Thanks Melanie!).  That, and I really didn't want to spend any more time recreating something that would probably work for my needs.

I was really satisfied with my purchase last year. I use it pretty much in a standard way, and don't alter it in any way. I know some people do, and it works for them. I just keep it with a Morning, Day and Night, and enter stuff in according to where in the day the task or event happens. Last year I snagged the Gold Edition and loved it. This year, I chose a different cover (Jolly Jester) and love all of the colors in the triangles. I don't care about super-personalized stuff, and this planner meets all my needs. Plus, I can always switch out the cover if I want to later.

Here's one of the weekly pages from last year's planner that I didn't use. Reality check is: I didn't really use this a TON until I got a purse that actually fit my planner in it. Now I carry it everywhere and love it! Plus, I'm super organized, which makes everyone in my family happy.

I did grab a couple of things this year that I didn't snag before. I really loved these stickers, and created two sheets that are perfect for my family. I mean really, who doesn't love stickers that say "Seahawks"?!?! Plus, I was able to color code a few things per our small family. Guinness the dog even has a few stickers for himself!

I also snagged these little clips. So many times did I forget an invite, coupon, or other important document on our kitchen calendar and paid for it in time and forgetfulness later. This year, I'm just going to clip those little things in my planner and find them where they should be. ErinCondren also includes a few of these fantastic stickers in your order. I found that these were great to use for present wrapping. Tie up a package with twine, slap one of those bad boys on, and BAM: Present Wrapped.

 

The only little thing that I do add to my planner Mini Post-It notes, and Post-It Tabs, both in neon colors. This way, if there is something that I really don't have a date for, or want to really move around... I can easily move it around. I also use these for more room when I need, but I haven't found that I need them for that reason as this planner does have a ton of room. I also use these pens from Staedtler. They are my favorite. I grabbed mine at Target, but a TON of places have them now.

In conclusion, I love my Life Planner. I've found great customer service and for the one issue I did have with last year's planner, ErinCondren.com took care of it in a manner that I was comfortable with purchasing from them again.

**I was in NO way compensated for this review. The review, photographs and opinions are solely mine, and only because I love the product. If you would like to purchase one, you can get $10 off by clicking here.

Randall Hall... (How I Miss Thee)

September and October always remind me of going back to school. I know this sounds funny since I actually am a teacher, but I don't mean September 1st "going back to school"... I mean college. Leaving when the leaves are just starting to turn as you cross Snoqualmie Pass on your way to Central Washington University (GO WILDCATS!).

This last summer, we took the kiddos on a trip to Ellensburg and as I always do... I walked through Randall Hall just to reminisce. Room 117 was the room that I took most of my Art History courses in, and the top story includes the painting studios that I spent much of my time in college. It still smelled the same: a mix of oil paint, Gamsol and linseed oil. Seriously, some of my happiest memories are wrapped up in those smells. Hint, hint Scentsy!

Anyway... For this lovely layout, I had some inspiration, but I cannot figure out where from. Maybe the PageMaps 2 book? I'd totally give credit, but cannot for the life of me remember. I guess that's what I get for blogging something I made in August... Sigh. At least the My Mind's Eye Market Street papers are sure pretty... And I had to use some Heidi Swapp Gold Lame spray and random sequins.

October's Shop Your Stash Kit...

So, as you may have noticed, I've renamed the kits that I make as Shop Your Stash Kits. There's a few reasons, and if you're a reader of my blog, you've noticed that I've been wrestling with what to call these creations. The short version is, I didn't want to use a name that I was not 100% comfortable with. There are ton of challenge blogs that all create themed kits, based on other companies' kits. I've done them, it's totally fun. But I don't want to imitate the amazing kits that others make, I just want to use up what I have. No challenges, no prizes, (unless you count all of the projects you make!) and no pressure. If you want more information on my process and what exactly I'm doing, I've made a PAGE to better explain how I go about Shopping My Stash!

Now for the pictures, and October's Shop Your Stash Kit!! Reality moment: this kit has been made for almost a month. Seriously... I'm in love with this kit, and the mood board that inspired it. I have SO many plans... But they have to start somewhere, and this is the lovely inspiration picture that started it all:

OMGoodness!! Isn't it just divine! So gorgeous, so Halloweeny without being all cheesy... I was just in love. Vanessa over at lbg studio created this amazing "Mood Board" and I swear, it spoke to me. I loved all of it from the apples (you'll see them!), to the pumpkins, feathers, woodgrain, stars, hot cocoa (which I'm totally translating into coffee...) and the patchwork. And those pocket scrapbook cards... that I may have just purchased because of this board. Look forward to a month of Halloween, Autumn and fun family pics!

Paper Top Row L-R:
Dancette (Spirited) - Authentique
You & Me (Stella & Rose) - My Mind's Eye
Remember (Lime Twist) - My Mind's Eye
Summer Dress (Indian Summer) - WeRMK
Polka Polka (Count Me In) - Sassafras Lass
Teal Large Dot (Dots & Stripes) - Echo Park
Juniper (Into the Woods) - Lawn Fawn
Clove (Nutmeg) - Cosmo Cricket
Tube Socks (Boyfriend) - Cosmo Cricket

Paper Bottom Row L-R:
Hoot of Owl (Witch Hazel) - October Afternoon
Picnic (Kraft Funday) - My Mind's Eye
Stripe (Uncharted Waters) - Glitz
Victorian (Random Collection) - Crate Paper
Big Sky (Open Road) - Crate Paper
Fun & Games (Kraft Funday) - My Mind's Eye
Grove (Countryside) - Studio Calico
Acorn (Nutmeg) - Cosmo Cricket
Fitting In (Boyfriend) - Cosmo Cricket

Shaped Paper
Smile (Lime Twist) - My Mind's Eye

Cardstock
black - American Crafts
Eggshell (Simply Spring) - WeRMK
reddish - American Crafts
light orange - American Crafts  

Embellishments:
Sculpture Flowers - Prima
Layered Stickers (Lost & Found 2) - My Mind's Eye
Circle Garland (Kraft Funday) - My Mind's Eye
Fla!r (Spooky) - American Crafts
Orange Chevron Washi (Amy Tangerine) - American Crafts
Chipboard Alpha - Sassafras Lass
Delights (Spice) - American Crafts
Dimensional Stickers - American Crafts
Word Stickers (Witch Hazel) - October Afternoon
Bingo Card - Pretty Little Studio
Various Die Cut Cards - Elle's Studio & October Afternoon
Mini Market Alpha (Pumpkin) - October Afternoon
Stickers (Hattie) - My Mind's Eye
Tickets (Kraft Funday) - My Mind's Eye
Twine (Kraft Funday) - My Mind's Eye
Kraft Borders - Anna Griffin
Happy Harvest Printable - Life Love Paper
FREE!! Back to School Printable - OneHappyMama.com

Scrapping Along with My Scrappy Sisters (From Afar)...

Last weekend was a little rough for me as I had a ton of scrappy friends all congregate at the fabulous ScrapbookSteals Mad Scrapper Retreat. This year, I had a perfect storm of personal and work obligations that just made it really difficult to sneak away and play with all of them. There's always next year, and I know that it will be even bigger and better than before! If you haven't checked them out, make sure that you do.

Anyway, since I couldn't join my crafty pals... I figured I would at least pretend. I grabbed my little girls, let them play upstairs with me, and crafted the day away. I found myself drawn to a really vertical aesthetic, and just played with my September Homemade "Counterfeit" Kit which I'm now going to rename "Shop Your Stash Kits". The reality is, I don't want to step on anyone's toes and call them something that has already been taken. Totally proactive, I swear.

This layout used a lot of inspiration from Audrey Yeager's version of this PageMaps sketch.

For my second layout, I started with using some Golden Light Molding Paste with a Silhouette Online Studio cut. Once that was dry, I took a couple of inks that I had, and blended them together to add some color onto the dried paste. I didn't want all of the white to go away, so made sure that a little still showed. Then layered on a photo and a few embellishments. The veneer butterfly was inked to match the enamel dots.

The last of the three was really fun. The Sassafras Lass paper that I used is one of my favorites, and I'm glad that I finally used it. To be honest, I think I've had it in my stash now for over five years. That's a long time to not use something pretty.

I used one of the September PageMaps sketch for this one, and really liked it. I moved up the bottom border to better frame the photograph.

These last two were created sometime in September, but I wanted to finish sharing my wonderful September projects that were created using my September Homemade "Counterfeit" Kit. I really loved the yellow and all of the bright colors in this layout. I didn't want to make a matchy-matchy pink layout just because both of the girls were wearing pink. I did love the small pops of blue in Miss I's shirt, and the yellow in Ro's, so wanted to highlight those colors. I love using my Silhouette to make die cut shapes from small remnants of my favorite papers, so used the last of some Crate Paper to make this ampersand.

This last piece really didn't have a story... Just a sweet, lazy dog. I wanted to keep the colors fairly muted, so grabbed a couple of light patterns and created a large background cut. The original layout of the cut is pretty vertical, so I squared it out to mimic my photograph and paper. I couldn't resist adding a couple of Lawn Fawn stamps to the mix however.

Hope you enjoy the works of September! I already have my October Homemade "Counterfeit" Kit created... Hopefully I will share this with you tomorrow!

Happy World Card Making Day with Xyron and Spellbinders!

Today I'm celebrating World Cardmaking Day with Xyron, Spellbinders and a little bit of Authentique thrown in! To start, I took some papers from Authentique's Grateful Collection and die cut various pieces using the Orchard Harvest Tags and Accents Fall themed Shapeabilities® set from Spellbinders. This set is really great, as you can die cut, emoboss and stencil using the same set. As you can see, I did a combination of all three for the various pieces of each die cut.

I really loved the stenciling capabilities of this set, as I'm not a huge embosser. I don't yet have an embossing mat, so used a slice of craft foam (normally reserved for making dimensional adhesive with my Xyron products) to create the embossed effects with the dies. It wasn't perfect, and I kind of ruined the craft foam, but now I really want to grab an embossing mat and see what these dies and the other Spellbinders Shapeabilities® sets do!

For the second card, I used more of the stencil effects, and was really happy with how this turned out. To better showcase the embossing techniques, I used some of my ImagineCrafts Versamagic Ink in Red Brick on the embossed sections. For both cards, I used my Xyron 3" Sticker Maker for each of the scalloped frame pieces. This is one of my favorite Xyron tools as it is big enough to use on most card-sized pieces, but small enough to stow in your travel craft case and take to crops. I also really like using the Xyron 3" Sticker Maker to make wider pieces of craft foam tape in order to use it on larger areas. My other go-to products on this pair of cards are the Xyron 1.5" Sticker Maker on the vertically striped paper and Xyron's Double-Sided High Tack Tape throughout both cards. This way, I can adhere my pieces securely, but still allow space to bend up the pieces for more dimension.

Supplies Used:
Xyron: 3" Sticker Maker, 1.5" Sticker Maker, Double-Sided High Tack 1/2" Tape
Spellbinders: Orchard Harvest Tags and Accents Fall themed Shapeabilities® set
Other Supplies: Authentique Paper (Grateful Collection: Plentiful, Observance, Copious, Kindred, Foundations One Distressed Solid, Bountiful, Components 6x12 paper die cuts), ImagineCrafts VersaMagic Ink (Red Brick), Staedler TriPlus Fineliner (Nature)

AUTHENTIQUE PAPER: "Cozy" Cocoa Holders