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paper goodies and family life

Thoughts on Friday

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My girl, on her 3rd birthday
The last few weeks of weather in Kansas have been bananas.  We had snow, cold, and then Spring-like temps.  To add another layer of fun to it all, my little fam has been hit by the head cold junk.  We are all struggling with coughs and sinus troubles and just a ton of ick.

To get past it I'm looking at photos that have nothing to do with what I'm writing about.

Tiny Dancer

Messy Bun (Messy House)

Who's your friend who loves to play?  Bing Bong Bing Bong

Ok, to focus on things, let's make a list!
  1. My plans for 6x12 Life Pages is kind of a bust.  I can't seem to get the pages to work out with the photos.  I'm tempted to give up on 6x12 for this year and switch to 6x8 because Simple Stories binders make me very happy.
  2. My dream for my Life Pages album is to rock out some awesome spreads a la Mish Wooderson or Nicole Harper.  I can't seem to get in the groove yet.  Should I throw in the Life Pages towel or persevere?
  3. While on the Life Pages rant, I haven't been taking very many photos.  Which makes Life Pages pretty much impossible to complete. :-/
  4. I can't decide on a color theme for my daughter's birthday.  Or if I want to have a big party.  Q is only concerned about taking treats to school for snack.
  5. Speaking of Q, she wasn't too crazy about soccer last fall, nor dance last summer.  Do I try them again and see if a year has made a difference?
  6. Why is being a mom so hard?
  7. Any idea what I should make for supper?
  8. Coming up with a meal plan both overwhelms me and often eludes me.  I am not a creative cook.
  9. Mixed media layouts have really rejuvenated me creatively.  I think the layers of paints, inks and whatever else ends up on the page feeds my soul in a way I've been missing.
  10. I felt like I need 10 items on my list, so this is #10.  Ha!  Ok, back to scrapbooking:  the new releases coming out are very pretty, I'm especially excited about Pink Paislee, Maggie Holmes and Pinkfresh lines.

Video Mixed Media #3

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I made this colorful coral layout using Photoplay Paper's Like A Girl collection.  I actually won this paper pack on an Instagram contest, and I suggest you follow Photoplay Paper on IG so you can get in on their awesome giveaways too!

I started the layout with some gesso and Distress Ink in Abandoned Coral, then things really got moving!  Watch the video below or on my YouTube Channel HERE.





I used affiliate links to provide you with some of the items I used to create this layout.  Happy Shopping!  Thanks for stopping by today, hope your day is fab in every way :)

AWDML Dreaming All the Dreams

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Hi friends, it's Monday so that means I'm on AWDML blog with a new layout.  Click HERE to read the how-to.


Fussy cut clouds, gold elements and wood veneer stars helped create this dreamy page.  Thanks for stopping by!

gossamer blue today

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Hi there!  I've got another mixed media layout featuring January kits from Gossamer Blue.  "Today" is a photo from last year of my girly, all dolled up and getting creative.


I started with a very thin layer of white gesso then added some pink and light blue gelato's using the packaging technique to smoosh the color on the background.  The Gossamer Blue kits I used include the Main Kit and Add-on Kit #2.

Mixed-media has been a great creative outlet for me; it slows down my creative process but makes the end result so much better.  I find myself really thinking about the outcome I'm seeking.

Affiliate links used.

Video Mixed Media #2 Wish

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Hello!  I've got a new mixed media layout and video, but I had a bit of an issue and didn't record (or accidentally deleted) the beginning of this layout where I applied the gesso and spray ink to the background.  But you get to see the rest of the process!  Watch the video below or at my YouTube channel HERE.



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Thanks for stopping by my blog, have a great day :)

AWDML Sweet

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Hi Friends!  I have a new mixed media layout on the A Walk Down Memory Lane blog!  Click on over to read how I created some depth and texture on this page, mixing and matching products and collections based on color.


Gossamer Blue January Blog Hop

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Hello and thanks for clickin' along to my blog on the Gossamer Blue Inspiration Blog Hop!  I have a mixed media layout created with the January Life Pages and Main Kits.  I found my inspiration from the Fancy Pants brag cards in the LP Main Add-on kit, took a circle punch to them and my layout just grew from there.



This page is all about what I'm dreaming for in 2016, a motivational page to keep me on track.  What are your goals and plans?


Head on over to Joy Taylor's blog to see what she has in store for you!

Here's a complete list of links for the hop!  Thanks for stopping by and please check out all the work from my amazing design teammates.
Alex Hunter
Anabelle O'Malley
Andrea Gray
Brenda Weaver
Chantal Philippe
Diane Payne
Emily Spahn
Eyoung Lee
France Wisniewski
Heather Leopard
Jill Keller
Joy Taylor
Kasia "Antilight" Petrus
Kathleen Graumüller
Kellie Winnell
Kelly Xenos
Michelle Wedertz
Olatz Garaiyurrebaso
Sandra Dietrich
Sian Fair

Organize Me/Quick Update

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The day is coming my friends, and it's happening much sooner than anticipated!  Clayton U. and his dad came over yesterday to brainstorm/finalize the craft desk plans and this girl loaded up the craft room (into various other rooms of my home, ha!) to prep for the install!

The L shaped desk will be installed on Thursday.  As in tomorrow.  I can barely contain my excitement you guys, this is like a bonus Christmas Morning for me!  I have a few pictures of what the craft room looks like without all my junk in it.  My beloved Martha Stewart desk will be put in the basement and I hope Miss Q will one day come to love her and use her as much as I did.

The desk will be along the wall with the windows and the wall in the photo above.  Shelves will be underneath it for additional storage and to display some of my vintage baskets and new purchases; I plan to put embellishments and stickers in the baskets.  Here's to hoping I will put a dent in my stash since I will be able to see a lot more of what I've got!  Here's to no more cinder blocks for my standing desk!

Mixed Media Layout + Video #1

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Hello Everyone!

I've been putting lots of thought into my blog and the direction I am hoping to take things in 2016, and one of the biggest areas I want to improve upon is videos; I enjoy making them and have been doing them primarily for design team work, but would also like to do more just for my blog.  Another area that I have to do better in is using up my stash.  I've got a good sized horde going on and want to use it up!  I pass some items along to a few of my crafty friends, but I have many items that I really like and just haven't gotten around to using.  2016 is the year to do better with both!

I created this layout using September kits from Gossamer Blue featuring Crate Paper's Wonder collection, plus some new to me products from Shimmerz.  I have to say, I'm hooked on Shimmerz products and hope to expand my collection of their items soon (like yesterday).

You can watch the video below or at my YouTube channel HERE.


I would love to hear your thoughts on sharing my process videos on the blog, please leave a comment and tell me what you would like to see and I'll work on adding it to my line up.  Have a great day!




AWDML No Drips

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Happy Monday!  I've got a bright, colorful and FUN layout on the AWDML blog HERE.  Please click on over to A Walk Down Memory Lane to see how this page came together.


Gossamer Blue Grin

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Hello!  I really did have a blast working with all the great colors and prints in the January Gossamer Blue kits.  This layout is probably the most colorful of all the projects I created this month.


The Fancy Pants alpha's from the Life Pages AO #3 are great for titles, and I also really liked the label die cuts in the Life Pages kit.  It seems like I gravitate towards embellishments before paper these days, so I choose my kits based on all the bits of ephemera.

I added a super thin layer of white gesso to the background paper before I started on the layout; I like to tone down busier papers and gesso seems to be the easiest way to do it.  Another thing I find myself doing is making little thread nests, a la Missy Whidden (check out her blog HERE).  I have a huge scrap crush on Missy right now, her style is a big inspiration to me.

What are you doing right now?  Do you find yourself developing a new style or have a new favorite "thing" you're doing on pages lately?

Gossamer Blue LP Mini

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Hello Everyone!  I'm sharing this mini album made from 3x4 Life Pages cards at Gossamer Blue HERE.  Please stop by the GB blog and read the how-to for creating your own mini.  Have a happy day!


Organize Me

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Currently I have this awesome Martha Stewart craft table in white and it has been perfect, until it wasn't.  My craft room is small with two high windows on one wall, and two wall-mounted lights. Given the shape of the room, the lighting situation and the storage pieces I use, the current desk isn't giving me the work room my craft area is capable of.  I need to maximize all available space.  I highly recommend the Martha Stewart desk and it worked great in my old (bigger) craft room, but in this small room it just isn't able to give me the work area I need.

I have some updates coming to my craft room in (hopefully) the next few months; my friends are building me a custom L-shaped desk similar to this one I found on Pinterest:
My desk will be standing height with shelves underneath.  I plan to do wall shelves similar to the picture as well.

I've already started stocking up on ways to organize my crafty stuff.  I have a fabulous local store that offers up cool baskets and storage, and I received a great gift card to purchase some stuff for my craft room this Christmas, but I have found some really awesome pieces on Amazon as well.  I've added links to the bottom of my post to make it easier for you to check out what I'm checking out ;)  I have a few vintage pieces I found at the Kansas Barn Sale last Fall and a few of those listed below are very similar to my retro storage stuff.

I inherited an armoire from my daughter's room when we moved to our current home a few years back and it holds lots of small items like embossing powders, spray inks and embellishments in their packages.  To organize these smaller items I use a series of small containers, baskets and storage containers to keep it all corralled.  The Sistema containers hold embossing powders, sequins, small wood veneer and all other tiny embellishments.  I bought a bunch of sample spoons to scoop the embossing powder out of the container to apply to projects.  This method has saved me a lot of embossing powder MESS, haha!

I plan to continue on with the Organize Me posts in 2016 when I get further along in my craft room updates.  I hope sharing what I find helps you organize your items!  When my room is completed I'll share a tour here on my blog.

The following are affiliate links.

AWDML Celebrate Friends

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Hi Everyone!  It's Monday and I'm sharing a brand-spanking new layout on the A Walk Down Memory Lane blog HERE.  Click on over to read the how-to so you can do some swanky partial embossing on your next project.


Happy New Year!

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And Happy Reveal Day!  The Gossamer Blue kits are ready for purchase in the store, if you're a subscriber you can access them now, everyone else can grab them up at noon central.

I'm sharing my favorite layout from the January Kits, Hello Love.  I used the Main Kit and Add-on #2, along with gesso, gelatos and spray inks from my stash.  I'm really feeling the mixed media vibe lately.  My favorite gesso is by Dina Wakely and I've finally figured out how to get a super smooth and thin layer using an old gift card.  The gesso dries way fast and is ready for inks and paints in no time.


I have to say that floral paper made for some easy fussy cutting, and the text paper is probably my favorite from the January kits.  I'll show additional creations throughout the month, make sure to check back to see more!

Happy 2016!  I hope this year blesses you in every way.