He began with a card base of 110 lb cardstock from Darice cut to 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", then scored at 4 1/4" to create an A2 sized card. Next, he moved on to pick out a background paper. He decided on this adorable light pink paper with some darker pink hearts from Pebbles. This is cut down to 4" x 5 1/4" to create a border around the edge.


Personally, my favorite part about this card is how he was able to mix different stamp sets together flawlessly. In the center circle, he stamped a kitten from W Plus 9's Pick of the Litter stamp set in Colorbox gray ink. Next to the kitten, he stamped a fun ball of yarn from the Neat and Tangled stamp set. He used a 2 inch circle punch from Marvvy to get the perfect shape. That is also bumped up on some foam to give it dimension.


To add more interest to the card, he used a Recollections red doily behind the main image. He stamped a sentiment from Inkadinkado's cat stamp set to complete this lovely card. I hope you've enjoy my wonderful guest crafter! Maybe he'll be back sometime soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
*Purchasing through these links is part of an affiliate program and I will receive a small portion of the sale at no additional cost to you*
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Neat & Tangled Kitty's Favorite Things Stamp Set

W Plus 9 Pick of the Litter Stamp Set

Hello everyone! Happy almost February! I have decided that it would be really cool to do a crafty goals monthly progress report (hopefully on the Sunday closest to the end of every month). I know that I often times lose sight of my goals when life gets busy and I'm hoping that this series will not only keep me on track, but inspire you all to keep track of the progress on your goals as well. In case you haven't seen my initial goal setting post, you can find it here!



1) Organize and find a place for my photo albums

I did not have set goals besides within the year to have each of these goals done. The main part of this goal was to organize and organize them I did...sort of. I decided that if they are in their albums according to year, I would be (moderately) happy. So, the albums may have Christmas in the front, middle or end, but it'll be the correct year at least! I'm proud to say that I have four full albums and I can't wait to scrap now that everything is organized! Although I do not have nearly enough albums to organize every year of my life separately at the moment, I have the most recent years in their own albums and grouped the older years. So, you could say this task is complete, however it will be an ongoing battle. I'm very bad at putting layouts away, especially while I'm at school. I will be hopefully more organized and more willing to put my layouts away now.

As for the second part of this goal, my albums are all sitting in a giant box. We recently got a much larger television and are looking to purchase a larger television stand to go with it. I put in my request that I would like to be able to house some of the albums in it. I'll keep you updated about how my request turns out.

2.) Complete 2 travel albums

In my previous post I mentioned that I wanted to finish one Disney album and then hopefully our Pittsburgh trip as well. I'm happy to say that I have finished several of my Pittsburgh trip pages and am having a blast with the 6x8 size that I'm working with. You can check out some of the process videos for those pages over on my YouTube channel! I plan on posting more and more here on the blog as well. 

As for my Disney album, I've made a few changes to this goal. I am going to work on one album at a time. I've realized a few things while I have been crafting away. First, things spark my interest at different times. This new album size has really forced me to think more creatively and I am enjoying the process thoroughly. Second, there's something lack luster about doing 12x12 pages right now. Don't worry, I would never give up my precious 12x12 layouts! But, I think I do need a break sometimes and this other album is giving me that. Lastly, I had to bring way too much back to school. Rather than overwhelm myself with all of these projects, I have decided one at a time is just as good as multitasking (actually it's probably better for me). 

3) Follow at least 2 spending freezes



4)  Create more cards and have an organization system for them

Hello everyone! Today on the blog I have a couple really easy projects to share with you. If you're anything like me, you love to buy pocket page cards (PL cards). They're all so cute and inexpensive! Since we tend to get a few duplicates of each, I decided that it would be fun to turn some of my extras into Valentine's Day cards. So I'll show you a couple examples on how to stretch your Project Life card stash! I hope you enjoy!




Besides the small glue fiasco I had, this card still turned out elegant (besides how crooked it is). I love the gold foiling on the window as well as the sequin movement behind it. I decided to frame the shaker window with a rose patterned paper from Studio Calico's Hey Day collection.

The background paper is a piece of patterned paper from Basic Grey's Fact & Fiction collection. The ledger like pattern had some yellow and orange elements along the top and bottom edges. I didn't really like that color scheme at the time, so I used another paper from the paper pad to cover that up. The green adds some grounding and a pop of bright color!


I created a small cluster in the bottom left of this layout to create some interest. I used a scrap piece of yellow patterned paper from DCWV as the base. Then I layered a scrap of ribbon from American Crafts, a rub on from Studio Calico, a wood veneer heart from Studio Calico, and lastly an Elle's Studio sticker. The varying colors and textures in this cluster make it very appealing to the eye.


While the paper layers are fairly simple around the photo, I knew I wanted to have a build out of a cluster to help the title rest on something. So, the photo is layered on top of white cardstock, some yellow patterned paper, and then some really cute DCWV bird patterned paper. To the right, I included a ruler border sticker from October Afternoon and another chunk of the ribbon I mentioned earlier, but this time I pleated it. As for the cluster that I built to the left of the photo, it is based on a giant kraft colored journaling spot from the dollar store. I layered a Martha Stewart green sticker, an Elle's Studio blue banner, some Jillibean Soup wood veneer flowers, a Hot Off the Press deer stamp (stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento ink), and a 7 Paper tiny word sticker. Yeah, there are a lot of elements in this cluster!


I wanted the cluster to mainly help the title feel like it wasn't floating as much. I also knew that I wanted the colors to relate to the title. I used some Target chipboard alphabet stickers and then some really old Studio G round alphabet stickers that really help give the layout a playful feel. One thing I truly love about using lined or striped papers is that my title is always straight! ;)


I created one last cluster in the top right of this layout to really help balance the layout. This one is made from the rest of the kraft label, a Jillibean Soup hexagon sticker, an Elle's Studio "yes" banner die cut, and an Elle's Studio tiny word sticker. I hope this fun layout inspires you! Thanks for stopping by!

The layout begins with two patterned papers. The small blue and white border around the edges is a piece of patterned paper from DCWV's Green paper stack. Which in all honesty is probably circa 2009. Glad I have finally put it to good use! The green patterned paper is from Craft Smith's Sea Glass paper pad. I love the texture on the papers of this paper pad. It's hard to describe, but they are textured, but have a smooth like finish.


I have two main cluster points on this layout and a few minor ones. The one to the left of the photo was one that just sort of fell together, This layout is a perfect example of my favorite color scheme to work with. I used a bow from American Crafts DIY Shop to pull in more florals to the page. To document the date, I used my ever favorite Teresa Collins tiny number stickers.


 Some of the die cut bits I used are from Dear Lizzy, Pebbles, and Joann's. I think that variations in shade adds a lot of depth to a layout. While there isn't much dimension in this cluster, the little bits of it that are there (like the wood veener umbrella by Jillibean Soup and absolutely adorable cat flair from Paper & Spool) really are emphasized.


I needed a decent sized cluster to help balance the title and the cluster to the left of the photo. I opted for a cardstock banner based cluster this time to bring in more of the navy patterned paper from DCWV that is also layered behind the photo. I used a Heidi Swapp puffy sticker and some more floral pieces from Pebbles to make it cohesive. The title on this layout is made out of three different fonts. The first word is made using K and Company alphabet stickers, then I used Teresa Collins stickers, and lastly these huge and puffy American Crafts Thickers. Perfect for this rainy day layout I think!


If you've possibly stuck around this long, you've probably wondered what the heck the story behind the photo is. My cat Ted here is not a brave man. He is quite the opposite. While he is very timid, he still loves going out on the deck with us when he can (under close surveillance). One day he was crying and crying at the door to go out for a nice breath of fresh air. Little did our kitty cat know that we were in the middle of a huge rain storm. Just one of those funny moments I wanted to capture. I hope you enjoyed this layout, Thank you so much for stopping by!

First of all, this layout brings about so much summer bliss when I look at it! I loved this day at the beach with one of my friends. Although summer isn't here currently, you can apply this fun technique to any type of layout! I love versatile techniques because they are always dependable to get through layouts when crafty mojo has disappeared. See the video below for the whole process from start to end!



This technique can be used with a multitude of shapes, which I plan on showing more examples later in this series, but it is also so much fun! Mixing and matching papers is one of my favorite parts of the process, plus you'll use up some of those 6x6 pads in no time with this idea. I used two paper pads for all of my patterned paper. I used Pink Paislee's Citrus Bliss and Pebbles' Garden Party. Both of these collections have bright, fun colors and patterns.



It took me a little bit of fidgeting to figure out where each circle should go, but once I had them where I liked them, I snapped a photo. That way, when you're moving them to glue them back down you can remember where each one went! It's a great tip for multiple purposes. I put my circles in a diagonal pattern to help draw the eye across the page naturally. I used little bits along the circles like the wood veneer, enamel dots, and word die cuts as a bread crumb trail of sorts. Just a little sport for your eye to rest for a brief moment before moving on to the next one.



I wanted my title to be simple. I didn't want it to be too small, too large or too distracting. I used the American Crafts Fitzgerald thickers in a teal shade that is slightly darker than my background paper. This keeps it well within the color scheme and helps the flow of the page.


I decided to put a small sub title on this layout because I felt that the bottom right side felt very unbalanced. I opted to go with these Webster's Pages block letter stickers for a beach feel. I plan on doing my journaling under this portion of my layout. I hope you guys enjoyed this super easy to do 6x6 Fix episode! Thanks for stopping by!

I did a lot of layering and clustering on this layout and I'm liking the vibes of these bright colors! I mostly used the We R Memory Keepers Flower Girl die cut set I purchased at Tuesday Morning last year. I also mixed in some Heidi Swapp tiny word stickers, Jillibean Soup hexagon stickers, Studio Calico teeny tiny heart stickers, and some Martha Stewart butterfly punch outs. The papers around my photo are from Crate Paper's Notes and Things 6 by 6  and Dear Lizzy's 5th and Frolic 6 by 6.


I rarely use colors along this color scheme, but I may have to try it a lot more often. The tiny number stickers you see there are from Teresa Collins. They are my absolute favorite tiny letter and number stickers! I also used a few pieces of the Freckled Fawn pink heart washi tape.


My title for this page is quite a mish mash of pieces that I had. The "happy" portion is from a Doodlebug Designs sticker sheet that I absolutely love. I mean, come on, that script font is so fun! I popped that portion up on foam dots to add extra pizzazz. Beneath that, I knew I wanted to add a little but more to the title. I dug through the die cuts and found this small green tag. I used that as a base for the second portion of my title which is made out of super old Making Memories alphabet stickers.


My last little cluster is in the top right hand corner. This was to help balance out the other two clusters on the page and the bottom and top halves. To make the layout feel like it wasn't running off of the page, I used a light green cardstock as a border around the edges. I hope you enjoyed this very loud layout, haha. It was really fun to experiment with these colors. Thanks so much for stopping by!

I made a small cluster in the bottom left of the photo. I used die cut pieces from the paper pad along with a wood veneer dove from Michael's. I wanted this layout to be symbolic, but discrete at the same time. The title really sets the mood for the layout, so I didn't think that the journaling had to be visible for the point to get across.


This title randomly popped into my head while looking at this photo. I thought it had a really nice ring to it. "If cuddles could cure" has a childish feel while talking about a serious topic which I thought would be very important for future generations to look at. The title is made out of the circle alphabet from the paper pad and some gray American Crafts Thickers.


I used my Colorbox dark brown ink to stamp my Unity phrase stamp on some more ledger paper from the pad. I coupled another pair of the jewels next to it as well. I also have a cluster in the top right of the page using a die cut from the paper pack and a wood veneer heart.


I know that a lot of people have trouble documenting difficult things. I just wanted to say that it is so therapeutic, at least for me and that it may be for you. I hope you give it a try sometime and start getting through some of the difficult moments. Thanks for stopping by!

The first page doesn't contain any memorabilia, but I thought you would all still love to see a process on this smaller scale. I have never worked with this 4x6 sized page protector, but I kind of loved it, but don't tell my 12x12 ;). I included three photos of signs we saw on our road trip and then three filler cards.


This little square may just be my absolute favorite. I have been dying to use this stencil from Echo Park that says adventure and I finally found the perfect use for it! I mixed my liquitex modeling paste with some mustard yellow acrylic paint to get this perfect color to match my color scheme. I used some pop dots to elevate this Heidi Swapp travel sticker. All of the cardstock used on these layouts is from DCWV's jewel tone paper stack.


I think it's safe to say that I have become addicted to this Heidi Swapp sticker booklet that I picked up from Michael's a few months back. I decorated most of the photos with little bits from the pack including these tiny word stickers! On the right photo I also punched a small heart out of some green cardstock using my Paper Studio punch.


The bottom two sections of this page are also really fun. On the left, I cut an October Afternoon die cut piece from the Cakewalk collection to create a small cluster. I used some enamel dots all across the page. The blues and greens are Paper Studio brand and the yellow ones are from Freckled Fawn. The right square is DCWV cardstock again, but I made this one into a journaling card. I used an October Afternoon label sticker and a Sassafras flower embellishment on this card. To add more detail, I used my fine tip black marker to create a doodled border around the edges.


The last pocket that I'll be focusing on for this page is what I would consider the color palate trend setter. The patterned paper here is how I determined my color palate. I pulled from all of the colors in this paper to help make the page cohesive. I used a super old chipboard tag and covered it with some cardstock. Then, I used more of the Heidi Swapp stickers to dress it up!



I cut down my receipt to the 2x2 size of the pocket. I knew that I wanted to have room for embellishments on it as well. I used an Elle's Studio banner piece to give some ground for my pieces. I decided that instead of journaling on this pocket, I would do it elsewhere. I used some new stamps from the Sweet Stamp Shop to describe the emotion of going to IKEA. Plus, theses little rams are super cute!


Since there was a lot of writing in the top right, I decided the left would be simple. I used some paper from My Mind's Eye again to create a background. Then, I used another Heidi Swapp sticker from the travel booklet. I also pulled out some super old American Crafts remarks sticker books and found this stitching sticker that I cut in half to use on the top and bottom of the sticker piece. I added another doodled border around the edge of this card.


The last two sections are pretty simple. On the left, I used more My Minds Eye paper, a flower paper punch, and a Freckled Fawn flair piece. On the right, I used more DCWV cardstock, some Michael's washi tape, and a die cut piece from a Shimelle collection. That's it for this double page tutorial incorporating memorabilia! I hope you enjoyed this and be sure to follow my blog for more! Thanks for stopping by!


Supplies:
*Purchasing through these links is part of an affiliate program and I will receive a small portion of the sale at no additional cost to you*
Shop through Blitsy! http://blitsy.com/ref/z3m57
Shop through Tupelo Designs LLC! http://i.refs.cc/H3vCMoVA 

DCWV Cardstock Stack Jewels, 58 sheets of 12 inch x 12 inch textured cardstock

I made a cluster to the left side of the photo focused on this felt leaf piece. I combined it with a really old sticker on some foam adhesive. In this photo you can also see the scalloped border piece I added. I originally had it without an outline and felt that it really needed it to make the layout more continuous. This cluster is somewhat conjoined with the next cluster on the top left of the photo.


This cluster contains a really old tab piece from Stampin' Up  in a nice olive color. On top of that is a gray heart sticker from Elle's Studio Let's Eat sticker sheet. In one of my more recent haul videos I shared this dog bone shaped paper clips and I decided to slip one in on this layout.


The last cluster I created was opposite the large photo cluster and runs vertically. I used another section of the border strip I used earlier as well as another felt shape. My title would make more sense if you all got to read my journaling. Our poor pup, Comet, gets so jealous of our cats, so we call him Jealous Nell sometimes. So, that's what I was trying to capture with this layout. I hope you all enjoyed this simple layout! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
*Purchasing through these links is part of an affiliate program and I will receive a small portion of the sale at no additional cost to you*
Shop through Blitsy! http://blitsy.com/ref/z3m57
Shop through Tupelo Designs LLC! http://i.refs.cc/H3vCMoVA 
Copic Multiliner SP Pens - Black, .5mm
from: Blitsy

Copic Markers Multiliner 0.05 Black Pigment Based Ink

I am using a 6x8 page protector divided into 4 3x4 pockets from Simple Stories. I wanted to feature the first photo from our trip which is our in the car photo. I also knew that this layout would set the whole color scheme for the album (or so I hoped it would). I was inspired by the card on the bottom right which is made up of a paper from My Mind's Eye. To build off of this color scheme, I pulled out some cardstock


This was a really playful layout to work with. I wanted there to be bold pieces and this card was the perfect spot to do so. I used a painted wood veneer flourish from Michael's underneath a glitter chipboard piece from Heidi Swapp. When I was looking through my bits and bobs for pieces to include in my album, I thought that the "start" would be perfect for the beginning of my travel album!


To complete this filler card, I included several colors of enamel dots from Hobby Lobby around the page. Then, I used my K and Company Smashbook roller date stamp to put on the date using Staz On ink.


Although I didn't do any embellishing on the photo pockets, I thought that the boldness of the two filler cards helped balance the photo on the top. This title card is made from some deep mulberry colored cardstock from my stash. I wanted a bold font for my title, but also something that fit on this card. I ended up using my new Freckled Fawn white puffy alphabet stickers. These might be my new favorites and I'm so glad I ordered two packages!


With just the title on this card, I felt it was quite plain. So, I wanted to build a cluster on the bottom half of this card. I ended up pulling out this Doodlebug Design mini doily in the color swimming pool. Then, I flipped through some of the stickers in my stash and pulled out a few sets to work with. I ended up using a Freckled Fawn heart sticker, a Heidi Swapp phrase sticker, and some enamel dots.


To complete this layout, I knew I wanted a little journaling spot. I played with the placement of it, but liked it best on the title card as you can see here. It is a diecut banner from Elle's Studio's Cienna collection. That is it for my first 6x8 layout! I hope you all enjoyed this new size and if you haven't tried it out yet, I definitely recommend it! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
*Purchasing through these links is part of an affiliate program and I will receive a small portion of the sale at no additional cost to you*
Shop through Blitsy! http://blitsy.com/ref/z3m57
Shop through Tupelo Designs LLC! http://i.refs.cc/H3vCMoVA 

Doodlebug Mini Doilies (75 Pack), Swimming Pool