The Story Matters: March 2011 Kit Reveal

it's the March kit reveal................ :)

the kit this month was so versatile with several softer colors on the palette and several bold vibrant colors as you'll notice with the difference in my two layouts below. looking at them side by side it seems a bit perplexing how they could both be from the same kit.

that's the beauty of the double-sided patterned papers on the market nowadays. :)

i really didn't do anything earth shattering on either of these layouts this month. just very straightforward. the odd-shaped patterned papers to the right of the photo on this first one were just petals cut from the pattered paper. and the sentiment on the layout is lyrics from a PINK song.


i finally found the perfect method to getting the ever-popular paint splatters and i'm so thrilled with the results.....every time. if you want to give it a try, i recommend buy the cheapest acrylic paint you can buy----usually the off-brand will be the best for it--- and then squirt some into a small cup/bowl and water it down half paint half water. then i just use a i use a cheap watercolor paintbrush to splatter. if you want a smaller splatter that looks like it's misted, use a toothbrush and run your thumbnail over the bristles. :)

on this one, i obviously got a little splatter happy again.....reminded me of little snowflakes. i also took the flowers from the kit, cut them in half and gluedotted them under the die-cut edged paper. i thought they kinda mimicked the fringe on her scarf.

anywho.
like i said, nothing real exciting going on with these two layouts, but if you have questions i didn't answer, please leave it in the comments and i'll answer. you can see other layouts from the team using this same kit over on the blog.

and a little news....it's been a year since i agreed to create on a monthly basis for The Story Matters and this is the last kit i've accepted to design with for them.

when i first agreed to be on the team, i agreed to a 6 month term. 6 months turned into 12 months. and with 12 months, it is time for me to say goodbye.

i need to focus on freelance work that brings income to our family. simple as that.

the timing to let go of this commitment and open my schedule for other opportunities like allowing me time to work on another online course and committing myself to get back in to the publishing game just feels right, right now.

so while i won't be designing for The Story Matters any longer, you'll still see plenty of scrapbooking projects coming from me.

note to self (and a little sneak peek)

note to self:
pretty, pretty please, don't you ever feel less than PERFECT! -lyrics courtesey of PINK :)

this is a sneak peek of the March 2011 kit from The Story Matters. i can't wait to share my full layouts on Saturday! it feels so good to be back in my studio creating something.

more soon.........

The Story Matters: March 2011 Sneak

so, about that celebrating.....

things here have been a little bit overwhelming---running back and forth to more doctors, the hospital and working extended hours to make up days that i missed.

all that leaving me little to no time to blog. :(

so, as soon as i can get my act together, i'll have lots of awesomeness to share with you--including giveaways, another coupon code for a non scrappy related online store, and another free tutorial.

please hang tight. sorry to keep you hanging. :(

in the meantime, feast your eyes upon the sneak peek of The Story Matters March kit........
i only have this picture to share with you and no layout peeks......yet.

told ya it's been crazy. i haven't been in my studio to create anything in 2 weeks. i'm missing it, big time.

if you would think good thoughts for my oldest (and me, LOL) tomorrow. she has a dental procedure and she's been worked up over it for weeks. anxiety + sensory issues + the dentist = nightmare.

The Story Matters: February 2011 Reveal

it's the 5th! and that means kit reveal time!

later today The Story Matters kit blog will be updated with images of what the entire team did with the kit....so if you have a chance, hop on over there and take a peek.

i had tons of fun playing with this one---and still have GOBS of supplies let to make more. i might just dig into it while pretending to watch the superbowl. hahhaaa.

anywho. here's what i made. (please excuse the craptastic photos of the layouts....it's been dark and dreary here this past week)

this layout is pretty cut and dry in terms of putting it together. no real techniques used here. and i promise everything is straight in real life....even though it doesn't appear that way. LOL.

oh, wait....i did do a little photo editing technique on the photos. they were taken in the pre-op waiting area in the hospital which meant harsh lighting and overexposed photos. but i opened them over at picnik.com and desaturated them to get the washed out effect. it kind reminds me of hand-tinted black & white photos.

everything on this layout is from the kit---although the "find joy every day" was cut using my Silhouette machine using patterned paper from the kit.

i'm so incredibly in love with this typewriter sticker! even more in love with the heart sticker layered on top. if you're the journaling reading type, you can click the image below to make it bigger.



with this next one, i decided to play around a bit with my shimmer mist. i've decided that i'm not sure if i'm a fan of misting. i'd much rather do paint splatters. i don't like how mist crinkles up my background paper. drives me nuts.


the blue border sticker was the perfect starting point for adding stitching on this one. the holes were already there as my guideline, i just had to punch through them to go through the cardstock before stitching with some DMC embroidery floss.


i wish you could see the shimmer effect in the mist. it's soooooo lovely.

i suppose i should note: the mist, the 'AFTERMATH' letters, and the floss are not included in the kit. but if you're interested, the mist is by Tattered Angels, the letters are Cosmo Cricket and the floss is DMC in Ecru.


thanks for stopping in today!

i'm off to finish a deadline, start in on my Etsy update (finally), and clean up my studio! OY!

coming up next week on my blog:

• Etsy update goes live
• my 1000th post & a giveaway!
• a new video tutorial
• and a regular tutorial (not scrapbooking related, but using some scrapbook supplies)
  

The Story Matters: February 2011 Sneak

one sneak, one sneak there,
here a sneak, there a sneak,
everywhere a sneak sneak.

heee.

it's time again (well, i'm 2 days late) for The Story Matters February 2011 Sneak. i'll tell you what, i literally jumped up and down when i opened this kit. it's so well put together. it had me at hello!

i sat down to create with it and couldn't walk away. here's a little peek at what i've put together so far. :)




meet me back here on March 5th for the full reveal!

The Story Matters: January 2011 Kit Reveal

this has been my favorite kit by far! ironically enough, none of the products standing alone would have been ones i would have purchased at my local scrapbook store (except for the round month labels), but i'm excited about how quickly these two layouts came together.

and i was able to dig deep into my printed photo stack and use older photos, but make them look quite fresh with the products in this kit. YAYPANTS.

the photo on this layout was from Christmas 2009 and may very well be the last year she ever sat on Santa's lap. :( good thing i remember this night like it happened yesterday. i haven't yet decided on the journaling to add---which will more than likely be added to the back.

the pearls and brads are not included in the kit, but i couldn't resist adding them.

and this layout makes me smile. i'm a softie for adorable snowmen. and seriously, what's not adorable about this one? the tomato eyes kill me. HA.

the journaling on this one is tucked inside that little envelope. and in the image below you see that i added a few more brads. i've gotten a little lazy about hand-stitching my buttons to my layouts. instead i've been adding mini-brads in the holes. :)

oh, and the baker's twine isn't in the kit either. it's from Michaels....the Martha Stewart Collection.
these two layouts didn't even begin to touch on all the wonderful products in the kit. there's a TON. i'm anxious to work with it some more after i get a few more CHA assignments done.

anywho....

hop on over to The Story Matters blog to see lots more examples made from this kit and to get all the nitty gritty on how to order your own.

thanks for stopping by. :)

peek time...

Jan 2011 The Story Matters kit.......doesn't it look perfect!? see some peeks from the team on the blog.

i just got my kit yesterday...i'll have my own peeks soon. :)

The Story Matters: December 2010 Kit Reveal

here's the December reveal for The Story Matters kit club! get your kit here.

i managed to only get two layouts done, but have ample amount of paper to do several more.

today is a super busy day, so i'm keepin' it short i ran out of time before spidergirl's birthday dinner, so i'm just now finishing up this post at nearly 8pm. eeeks.

before we go on...........HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY to my sweet Spidergirl! no worries, her birthday pictures/stories will be posted soon. :)

now, for reals, onto the reveal....

this layout, visually, is my favorite of the two. there's no real rocket science type scrapbooking going on here. just lots of straight lines and layering, typewriter journaling, and lots of tiny red rhinestones added in (those aren't in the kit).


this photo is 3 (maybe 4) years old and i'm finally getting around to scrapbooking it. story.of.my.life. HA!




and this layout was one of those layouts where i sat with the photo on the background paper and the sheet of stickers and just stared at it for a looooooong time. walked away, came back, walked away, came back.......major scrappers block.

and when i was about ready to call it quits, i suddenly looked at the sheet of stickers again and remembered a favorite etsy artist---studioerinzam---and some prints of her's i've been crushing on, like this one....

(image from studioerinzam on etsy)

and i was inspired to make this....


you can click on any of these images to make them larger and see them in more detail. :)

i just started sticking down the alphabet stickers attempting to form the shape of a tree. as you can see some are turned sideways & upside down in a completely random combination.
after i got them arranged how i wanted, i used my sewing machine with dark brown thread to machine stitch over the shape of the tree to give it a bit more definition.

the small pink leaves you see are the inside (leftover) pieces from the border strip sticker you see along the bottom of the layout. i added the coil brads (karen foster) and large & mini brads from my own stash to give an extra layer of texture and dimension.

i've clearly got lots of catching up to do with my December daily. after three VERY busy days, i'm ready to slap a big FAIL on my forehead already, LOL.

The Story Matters December Sneak

grab yourself a look at some project peeks over on The Story Matters blog.

The Story Matters: November 2010 Kit Reveal

are you ready for this!? it's a good one. :) this month's kit, Choosing Gratitude, is packed full of an awesome blend of double-sided cardstock weight papers, journaling cards, metal embellishments, foam thickers and so much more. it's got a crisp autumn day feel too it.

life's just a bit overwhelming lately......doctor visits, other design deadlines, Team Fitness commitments, and everyday life. and for the first time i had to say "i just can't get it done in time" and be okay with that. so i only have one measly layout to share. i hope to have another layout share in the next few days. it's designed...it just needs a few more touches and photographed. :)

later today, the TSM blog will be updated with layouts from all the designers. i've had a peek and they are all SO very inspiring. you should go see what Megan did with her kit. i wish i could scrap like her. i love all her random bits and pieces. so very lovely. my brain thinks way more along the heavily embellished, layered linear style.


The Story Matters is also doing a month of gratitude. details are right here on their blog.

i'm looking forward to the month of November slowing down just a bit so i can focus on a daily gratitude. how about you?

i'm not sure that i'll have a picture every day, but i'm going to take a stab at it starting today.

Daily gratitude: i'm thankful for an creative friend who is exponentially talented in every area of art & design and has freely given his time to help me pull a huge project together. a project that i'll get to share with all of you next week! :)

i can't wait.

want a sneaky peek at Novembers TSM kit?

i'm a little late with the sharing since we peek on the 15th.....forgive?

but here she is: The Story Matters' November kit.


i got my kit a bit late this month and life has been chaotically busy, so i haven't had a moment to play, but as soon as i do, i'll share my project peeks.

stay tuned....

TSM October Reveal.

i've been busy scrappin! YAY! and today is reveal day for The Story Matters Kits, so you get to peek at what i've been up to in the studio lately.

this has been my favorite kit yet!

as always you can click on any image and it will open up a new window so you can view it larger. i took closeups of the journaling so you can read if you're interested. )

everything on "my bestie" is in the kit except for the two yellow mini brads on the green button.


everything on "hey mom take a pic" is in the kit except for the light blue swiss dot cardstock (background) and the brown decorative edging under the ribbon.





everything on "party in the u.s.a." comes in the kit except for the red & white baker's twine at each end of the celebrate banner.





What you should know about The Story Matters Kit Club:

• It's a Subscription, without the Commitment!
• You do NOT have to worry about a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription when ordering The Story Matters Kit!
• Each order PROMISES you a kit for the next month, BUT you can cancel ANY MONTH before the 25th (10 days after Sneak Peeks and ~10 days BEFORE the next kit comes out)!
• You quit when YOU want! It's that simple!
  
• Great kits! Great value! Great inspiration from the designers! Great weekly challenges!
• Buy your October Kit TODAY!