Magical Messes: May 2015

Life is Good

5:00 AM

Hi there! I have a layout to share with you using the Pink Paislee Citrus Bliss collection.

I love the summery colors in this collection! I a background out using my Silhouette Cameo. I backed it with patterned papers from the 6"x6" pad. It was pretty loud and bold, so I covered it in vellum. I also decided to trace each piece with black pen to help the flowers pop! I love how vellum tones things down a bit.

If I could recommend anything (besides the ephemera pack, which is always a must have) to get from thi collection, it would be the Insta Kit! It includes frames, overlays, and journaling cards, and is a great bargain! I had a lot of fun using it on my layout!

The Cut Shoppe is ONE & Giveaway!

5:00 AM

The Cut Shoppe is ONE YEAR OLD! today! I freaking love Ashley's cut files, and I am truly honored to be a part of the design team! It's been the best experience, and I'm so glad to be continuing on!

I love every single cut file Ashley has created so far, and I find them so inspiring! Whenever I'm in a rut, all I need to do is browse her files and I find my mojo again! I've created TONS of layouts using The Cut Shoppe files over the past year, and here are a few of my favorites.

Ashley is generously letting each of us give away a cut file! I noticed that pretty much all of the favorite layouts I've chosen use a cut file with words! To keep with that theme, I chose the All Tied Up cut file to give away! Leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm on May 31st, and I'll announce the winner the next day!

Happy Anniversary to The Cut Shoppe! <3

My Scrap Space

5:00 AM

Today I am super excited to share my scrap space with you! I am posting here as well as on the Clique Kits blog today. I have a teeny tiny space in a teeny tiny room, and so I feel like I've become a pro at consolidating. I do store lesser used items like buttons, ribbon, etc. in another place so it doesn't take up my valuable real estate! Without further adieu...

TAH-DAH!!! I use a banquet table from Target as my work space. It's sturdy, cheap, and portable! I tend to be messy, so it's great to have a surface that will survive a beating, and one that I won't care too much about ruining!

On the edge of the table is my Cameo, a lamp, and my embellishment storage. These compartments are GENIUS. They are just tool compartment storage from Lowe's (or Home Depot) that I spray painted. I keep them divided by embellishment and/or collection (depending on what it is). I love that I can just grab one drawer at a time and have it out with me while I'm working. They also hold SO much! Here's a look at a few of them:

I use this craft storage shelf thingy to store my mists, silhouette pens, journaling cards, 6"x 6" paper pads, and a basket of various ephemera.

I store my journaling/Project Life cards in these photo cases:

The greenish organizer used to hold gift cards and CDs at the Starbucks store where I work. I painted it and rearranged it a bit to hold some embellishments and to have a place for my ink, tools, and photos. To the right, I keep all my chipboard and 12"x12" sticker sheets standing up between the organizer and the paper holder.

I keep my most used papers in this paper organizer, with each slot designated for specific papers. I have it organized by: Misc. newer sheets, Crate Paper, Maggie Holmes, Teresa Collins/Echo Park/Webster's Pages/MME, and American Crafts (including Studio Calico, Pink Paislee, etc.). This is what makes sense in my mind :)

On top of the paper organizer, I keep a basket of my Thickers (and a few 6"x12" sticker sheets). I limit myself to whatever Thickers fit into the basket. If I have too many, I purge before I purchase more. Thickers are a HUGE weakness of mine! I remove the outer packaging and place them into individual 6"x12" bags. It is so much easier that way!

My scrap area is in a room that also holds my vanity, a book shelf, my husband's closet, and some storage. Not pictured in the main photo is clear Sterilite drawers that hold our office supplies. On top of these I keep 4 Iris containers that contain design team supplies, and Christmas paper. If I have a current kit box, it goes on top of this pile.

I have a bulletin board above my desk so I can constantly see things that inspire me and make me happy!

Underneath the table is a great place for storage too! The white bin is where I put the recycle, and the pink and black basket is where I keep my scraps. I keep tools, punches, and lesser used paper in the Sterilite drawers.

In the other two paper organizers, I keep lesser used (but still loved) paper like Sassafras (may it rest in peace), plain cardstock, and specialty papers. On top of the paper organizers I keep paper pads and bulk paper (such as the 25 sheet packages from Tuesday Morning), and white cardstock. I have another organizer for lesser used tools so I can grab them whenever needed. Teddy keeps a close watch (not really, cause he's blind :) ) on my supplies for me. You'll ALWAYS find him in his bed right there if I'm in the room!

And that is my space! It is teeny tiny, but I love it and it works great for me! I've learned a lot about making such a small space work, and I have some tips I'd like to pass along.

Think Outside the Box: Get creative with your storage! Home Depot is actually a great place to shop for scrap storage. Re-purpose anything you can that will help keep your organized! You don't have to only use storage designed for crafts.

Toss that Packaging: Unless you need the packaging to make it work for you, I highly recommend getting rid of any and all packaging. Packaging takes up valuable space, and adds clutter (plus it is time consuming if you're often opening and closing it)! If you can get away with it, toss that packaging!

Consolidate, consolidate, consolidate! If I have two half used sticker sheets, I combine them all onto one sheet. Repeatedly doing this will save so much space! I do this with stickers, enamel dots, chipboard sheets, and more! I often cut up sheets of dimensional embellishments so I am not limited in the way I store them.

Space is Valuable: If you're not using it often, store it somewhere else! It's much easier to occasionally go and get something than to fight through clutter and chaos. If you're never going to use it, PURGE!!I I often go through my supplies and donate what I'm not going to use. My style changes and it is more beneficial for me to not have supplies weighing me down!

Thanks for joining me today! I hope you found this helpful! Please let me know if you have any questions :)

Teddy Tuesday

6:49 PM

Happy Teddy Tuesday! Today I have a layout and a few cute pictures to share :)

To create this layout, I punched a trillion hearts out from paper scraps using the Heart Confetti punch. I used my Cameo to cut a giant paw print out from white cardstock. I traced it onto a scratch piece of paper, and coated it with modge podge. I layered the hearts, coated again, and so on. Tweezers were super handy for making sure all the spots were covered! I originally used ATG adhesive and placed each heart individually, but then I realized it would take me the rest of my life to finish this layout. Modge podge worked great, but it did make the paper buckle a bit! I decided to add the photo and title at an angle. I love the look of angled layouts, but I rarely make them!

I love all the happy colors on a page about the pup that makes us so happy!

Teddy has been super busy sleeping this week;

We had a little scare last night! Teddy got out of the house and was found on a very busy street by our home. He gave us such a scare! Not only was it dark, but we had just taken off his ID Tag off because Michael's phone number changed, and we hadn't put on the new one. Night time + blind dog + busy street + no ID tag = a miracle that he is home safe! I've been pretty much smothering him ever since!

My Mom

5:00 AM

My mom is the absolute best. I love her so much, and she is my best friend! I found this cut file in the Silhouette Shop, and wanted to use it in honor of Mother's Day.

I used the Maggie Holmes Confetti collection to back each word with a different pattern. I then traced it in black ink to help the words stand out more. I used three different photos from the last few years, and printed them in black and white so they would POP! I have been enjoying the Confetti collection so much! The colors are so pretty and the pops of gold are fantastic. A beautiful collection for my beautiful Mom!

Melana

5:00 AM

A few months ago, I started a little series about each of my five cousins. Last, but not least, is Melana. She turned 11 a few days ago, and is the youngest of all of us (and the only other girl).

I can't imagine a life without this fiesty gal! She is softspoken and shy, but once she opens up she is bubbly and full of laughter. She is probably the wittiest person ever--she is only 10 and already the queen of one liners. Melana has a spunky style that is super fun, and she is quite the fashionista I babysat her for many,many years which gave me an opportunity to really get to know her and to watch her grow up. I have a special bond with Melana and am beyond grateful that I've had the chance to be a part of her life. I love my Laney girl!