Just got home....

from a whirlwind 3 day retreat.  My friend runs a small retreat here in So Cal and 4-5 times a year, we all escape.  It really is the one true time I scrapbook anymore.

If you are local -or- want to join us, the next weekend away is in August.  Check out justcropretreats.com for more info and to register.

I didn't take much really, just some older Studio Calico, Cocoa Daisy and Scraptastic kits.  I didn't get through all of them but I did make a dent.  I used about half.  I resolved to make what I could with the kits and not try to use every. last. bit.  I start to really burn out on kits if I push myself.  On the other hand, I want to feel like I got what I paid out of them too.  But I end up with half used kits sitting on my shelf and they never get used.  I end up donating or selling off a flat rate box full of old kit contents.

My resolution this time was to use what I could from the kits and move on.  Hand the bits and pieces off to someone else.  I managed to get 3 really good layouts out of the 3 kits I did use so I'm very proud of that.  I feel like I used what I could and I'm in love with the final layouts.

Time to share!

This was an older Studio Calico kit.  I really love the star paper.  I wanted to watercolor some of them in but I like the stark contrast to the black and orange so I left it.  I have some scraps left of this so you may see some watercoloring in the future.

The wood veneer 'RAD' - yeah, I've been holding on to that for a while now.  Just use it right?  It can't be RAD if its hidden in a bag.

And the title.  I stamped that using an exclusive stamp set from Studio Calico.  Their alpha sets are by far my favorite.  These were no exception and I rushed during pre-sale to get these and the number set.  LOVE them.  I stamped them twice.  Once in a color and once in black, just offsetting them so you can see the detail.  

And the flair button.  You can find the biker set in the A Flair For Buttons Etsy store.  Again, something I've been hoarding for a while.  

I'm a huge Echo Park fan.  I buy 80% of their lines so when they released their new boy line - Jack and Jill - I had to have it.  These are my favorite boy colors and go with 90% of my sons closet.  As I rifled through the mile high stack of photos I want to scrap and saw these, they were perfect.

The 'Rad' tag (yes, there was a lot of RAD going on that weekend)is from Amy Tangerine.  The pack of pre-punched tags came in a kit.  I used them on several layouts because they were so versatile.  I will be punching my own tags in the future.  

 More flair from the a Flair for Buttons Etsy shop.  I'm addicted to the flair!

One last one today.  (I have a lot to share!)  Another Studio Calico kit.  I'm horrible about keeping track of the products I use but I believe this is the original kit those tags came in.  I added some items from my stash in like:

Chic Tags: tags, rubbing and stickers.

Amy Tangerine - sticker letters

A Flair For Buttons - Let's Eat flair

Jillibean Soup sticker words 

I'm so glad I got as much done as I did.  I made a dent in some of my supplies and that makes me a happy girl.  I also got to spend some time with friends and relax.  It was my Mother's Day present - a weekend away.  Today we celebrate the real Mother's Day and I'll be running around visiting family.

The Perfect Hello

Another old picture I grabbed from the stack.  This layout uses one of my Scraptastic Kits.

All of my favorite elements are on this one.....

 Flair.....

 Hand Stitching and enamel dots.....

 Glossy Accents on my stickers....

Layouts with {flair)

One of the things I missed most in the many months I didn't have time to scrap was my room full of fun product.  I hand pick everything based on what I like.  As just like I haven't had time to scrap, I haven't had much time to actually purchase new items.

With 2 Peas closing, I didn't have a place to really shop.  Their product selection dropped these past few months so I relied on kits.  I subscribe to Studio Calico (again), Cocoa Daisy and Scraptastic.  All of them feature my favorite lines, exclusive stamp designs and the ability to add on extra kits to beef up the main kit.  I can also just get the main kit if nothing else appeals to me.  And thats fine with me.  There is always something in there I will use.

Getting back into it this past weekend, I dug into past kits.  It was time to start using them up.  I don't even remember their names and most of them are a mystery as to who I got them from unless there is a stamp set in there to identify.

This first one is Cocoa Daisy from last year (I think).  Very simple.  I printed an 8x12 photo at Costco from our trip to Talinn, Estonia.  Gorgeous city!

 The Studio Calico adventure overlay, a {flair} for buttons flair and travel related papers.  I made my own Instax looking print for the bottom photo.

 Overall, a very simple layout but it was the perfect gateway to more interesting layouts.... like this one.

 I'm still working on the tons of photos I have from our trip to Cancun in 2003.  Thats us in front of Chichen-Itza.  I journaled on the card in the glassine envelope about my trip up the stairs.  I got almost all the way up and then made the mistake of looking down at my husband.  I realized I had to get down all those steps too.

It took a while and I came down on my butt (the rope and chain were being used) and I was exhausted after.  My thighs hurt for days but it was so worth it.  I wish I had been brave enough to make it to the top and actually get my camera out of my pocket for photos.....

 This was an older Cocoa Daisy kit using a lot of Studio Calico retail lines.  I added the {flair} geotag.

Expect more from this blog over the next few months.  The last time I went through a drought due to work, I came back strong and crafted every weekend for months.  I've already got layouts in the planning stages, sketches laying around and my Pinterest boards are flowing.

On a roll

So, last weekend, I finally took the time to grab some photos of the rest of the layouts I'd finished since January.   Expect lots of sharing.

 This is using a Cocoa Daisy kit from 2013.  Have I mentioned I have a scary stash of kits?  Cocoa Daisy, Citrus Twist, Studio Calico and now Scraptastic.  I no longer sub to Studio Calico or Citrus Twist.  CD and Scraptastic seem to cover all my bases and offer me product I actually use.  I struggle to use SC's kits.

 The exclusive papers in this kit were perfect.  Cloud stamp paired with Glossy Accents = perfect accent.  Flair is from the A {Flair} for buttons shop.

Another layout using that Authentique (or Carta Bella paper).  Explore Oceanside.

 This is based off a sketch on my Pinterest boards.  The explore word is from Freckled Fawn maybe?  (I really shouldn't take things out of packaging....)  I used some Tim Holtz Distress Ink to stain the veneer and then added Glossy Accents over that to create a varnished wood look.

The chevron is stitched.  I used the Chevron Mist Template from Studio Calico to punch my holes and then stitched.  I just went with one big stitch instead of little ones.

The theme for Rocky....

is playing in my head right now.  I'm on  a crafting roll. 

 This was created using remnants of a Cocoa Daisy kit.  Title was cut on my Cameo.  Bits and pieces are from the kit.  the 'documented' flair is from the A {Flair} for Buttons Etsy shop.

And this layout was created from another Cocoa Daisy kits from 2013.  This one featured some Elle's Studio papers.

 Enamel dots and Jillibean Soup letters.

Flair and May Arts ribbon.  You can pick up your own 'I *heart* my dog' flair in the shop.

Kit killer

I made a promise to myself when I purged my scrap room before the move.  Whatever I kept, I would attempt to use up.

I went to a weekend retreat in January and got 9 pages done.  Since then, I've completed a few more AND about 40 cards.  I killed 2 Studio Calico card kits from 2013.  Man does it feel good.  I'm not one of those people who puts themselves on a spending freeze.  I could never do that.  I like to buy the new supplies too much.

CHA stuff is slowly rolling out which means its the perfect time to use up as much of the old as possible.

 This is an awesome line from Authentique.  Or maybe Carta Bella.  (I can't seem to find the line anywhere to verify.)

 I added the hand stitching for the title and an Evalicious tag from a Cocoa Daisy kit.

 I stuck a little flair in there too.  

 Anchor and bird are both stitched.  I was trying to tie the nautical theme together.

 This was created with a Studio Calico kit.  I don't even keep track of them anymore.  I used the SC speech bubble misting template to set up the speech bubble area.  I hand stitched around each one and then filled some of them with folded bits of paper.  Words to describe my son at 6 years old are on the outside with hidden journaling inside.

 More flair on this one.  Random bits from past assignments.  I tend to pick up sets because I like 1-2 of the pieces from the set.  I hold on to the rest and sort them by type (see previous post) hoping that one day I find a place for them on a project.  These are from 3 different sets from the shop.

This is Awesome

I'm sure you're thinking.... more trains?

Yeah, me too.  My son is obsessed.  I've tried to minimize the trains in his life because they're all he thinks about.  At this point, there is no denying his love of them.

If you can't beat them, join 'em?

All supplies for this one were in a Cocoa Daisy kit from a few months ago.  I used a Tim Holtz distress ink with the rolling camera stamp from Glitz Designs.  Some of my favorite items are used on this layout:

FLAIR (Evalicious)
TWINE
ENAMEL DOTS

** Photo idea is from Pinterest.  I used trains where the original one used toy cars. **

More layouts and a kit for sale

I recently taught a class at my LSS and I have a few kits left over.  Cost is $35 plus shipping.  You'll get the kit and some extras.  Contents are worth over $50 if purchased separately so this is a steal.  Instructions and full color photos of each page.  You get the following:

- Pink Paislee Mini Album
- Pink Paislee papers (12x12)
- Pink Paislee embellishments (full packs)
- Heidi Swapp Mist
- 3 yards of washi tape
- instructions and photos
- Misc items include flair buttons, gold sharpie, mini Glossy Accents and more.

Email me at ohmy17(at)yahoo.com to reserve or send Paypal payment to ohmy17(at)yahoo.com.  Cost for the kit +Shipping is $40.  Make sure your shipping address is correct in Paypal.  Kits ship next day.

Some pictures of the kit:

And a few more projects to share.

Using up some older Echo Park.  I have a lot of Echo Park in my stash.

 And another Studio Calico kit killed.  Feels good to start using up my stuff.  I've got so much and the new stuff is taking *forever* to ship.