{Life as we live it}

Gossamer Blue | Project 12...

good rainy afternoon...

i am happily writing from my newly upgraded computer, which was out of use during National Scrapbook Day this past weekend. this is probably the first time i've not created a project in honor of NSD. but at the same time, i was thrilled to have a faster working computer more than anything. lots more memory & storage space to boot...YAY! now i need to think about investing in a 27" or higher monitor, LOL!

anyway, this month i am hosting Project 12 over at the Gossamer Blue blog. this works out perfectly for me since my project life is documented on a monthly basis. the best thing about the Project 12 challenge is that you get to participate for your chance to win a $20 gift certificate :)

to play along, be sure to follow the instructions below AND see more of my Project 12 images here...

1. Follow Gossamer Blue on Pinterest HERE
2. Leave a comment on this post HERE with your Pinterest name letting us know you are following us.
3. Gossamer Blue will follow you back and invite you to contribute to our Project 12 Pinterest Board
4. Accept the invitation from Gossamer Blue.
5. You are now ready to post your Project 12 spread to our Project 12 Pinterest board.

Each month Gossamer Blue will pick a winner at random to win a prize. 

Create a Project 12 spread recapping one month and post it to the Project 12 Pinterest board by May 10th and Gossamer Blue will pick a random winner to receive $20 Gift Certificate.

xo!

Gossamer Blue | May projects...

i don't know about you, but i'm super excited that May has arrived. the last three days of April brought us lots of rain and clouds. so, thankful to finally have sunshine and i'm thrilled to share my layouts i made with this months Gossamer Blue kits... um, i LOVE LOVE LOVE these kits!!! i know, i sound like a broken record each month, but it's true! my heart was full of smiles when i opened all the kit contents last month. lots of my favorite colors rolled into one.

my "Times Square" layout was created using the main kit along w/ the digital files.

the design of my layout was completely inspired by this ad i found on pinterest a while back...

i had planned on using four images, but i only had three images that would work for the story behind the photos. using the geotags to frame the photos was fun! i love how it all turned out. especially loved using the above ad for inspiration.

i also added lots of big, bold arrows to the design to compliment the slender die-cut arrows by Jillibean Soup. i used two of the digital file 3x4 cards and layered them together along w/ Fancy Pants decorative baggie, which holds my hidden journaling.

for my next layout, i used contents from both the main add-on kit and add-on kit #2...again, LOVE!

there are so many bits & pieces in both kits, i couldn't help but to use as much of it as i could on one layout, ha!

this layout turned out totally different than what i had first imagined. first of all, i had an issue w/ my trimmer and lining up the polaroids straight...i need to remember to trim paper down first before adhering stuff down before hand. it all was all crooked, so i just went w/ it. i was determined to use that paper no matter what, hahaha.

i hand cut a variety of arrows from the pattern paper & layered them for dimension along w/ embellishing a few with brads. i love the color and how it adds to my page.

photos added to each polaroid randomly to go w/ the flow of the slanted layout design.

if you've not already bought a kit, do so now right here! there are kits sold-out already on the site. you will not want to miss these luscious kits!!

happy hump day, xo!!!

crafty tutorial share...

happy Friday!

i have a tutorial over on the Lily Bee blog today. it's a picture frame i converted into a dry erase/message board. you can read more about it here.

xo!

Gossamer Blue | April project life...

guten morgan!

this week i am enjoying the company of two wonderful friends i only get to see once (maybe twice) a year. we are spending four creative days together cropping at the local scrapbook store. it's really fun. we don't just scrapbook, we plan on racing in go-carts at Funland, possibly rock climbing, shopping & of course, lots of (semi-healthy) eating! it's a lot of fun & a nice mini vacation away from the daily routine!

earlier this week, my project life went live on the Gossamer Blue blog, you can see and read more about this months pages here.

hope you are having a great week and enjoying all this summer like weather Spring has sprung on us. enjoy your day!!!

xo!

Creative Memories | Baby Blog Hop

Hoppity hop! If you arrived here from Ginger Williams (Traditional) blog, then you are in the right place.

The new It's A Boy collection by Creative Memories is absolutely adorable! I love that the pattern papers arrive in a paper pack along with pre-made die-cuts. The title and decorative stickers are also just fabulous! I instantly gravitated to some of my favorite baby pictures of my oldest child, Tyler, who is now 10 going on 18, ha!

I'm always reminiscing old photos of my kids. It's amazing how fast they grow. It seems like yesterday. Sometimes I wish I could turn back time, but what is the fun of that? The geometric shapes cut out into the embossed cardstock background adds a bit of fun and movement. Plus, I love how the images pop off the blue/grey backgournd, surrounded by pops of color.

Tyler and I played a lot together before bedtime. We would hang out in bed with my point and shoot abd music playing, dancing our hearts away. He loved the camera and always managed to pose for me. His wide toothless smile brought glistened. When he tired, he had no problems letting me know and we would cuddle together until he was sound asleep. I loved every minute of it! These two images of him are just a handful of my most favorite memories during his childhood. I'm so grateful to have wonderful memories of my little guy and even more grateful to be making memories with him now.

Though snappnig photos of him now, trying to get him to pose or even just give me a smile it's hard to come by. I seem to have to constantly bribe him just to even look at my camera! So, looking back at moments like this I am forever grateful.

Thanks for letting me share my story with you today and hope you continue to be inspired.

My code is the letter F. Now be sure to write down the letter. At the end of the hop, you'll be asked to enter all the codes collected for your chance to win some fabulous prizes!

Now, off to your next stop, Jennie McGarvery (Traditional). Good luck & Happy Hoppin!

Gossamer Blue | April kit projects...

good morning...

i have some Gossamer Blue projects to share with you. last month, i attended a weekend crop w/ some friends in Charlottesville, VA and so glad i did. it was really nice to get away for a weekend for some girl time and of course, lots of scrapbooking. i usually don't create well at crops. my mind is usually not into it. i just enjoy running my mouth, eating and shopping, LOL. but this time around, i had a set plan to work on some deadlines so i didn't feel too overwhelmed. i packed up all my April Gossamer Blue kits and had a blast creating with all you the pretty embellishments and paper!

my first layout is, Hello Cutie was created using April's Main Kit. there was so much goodness packed in this kit, i couldn't resist using each and every bit of element on my page. i love when i get a kit and ideas start swarming in my brain. makes is so much easier to create w/.

i absolutely LOVED these canvas frames so much they were screaming to be used. and of course all the pretty papers, so so dreamy!

i even used the print and cut feature with the Cameo. i still need to tweak it a bit as it doesn't always work. but i am diggin the colorful tag designs that were included w/ the main kit.

my next layout, Ms. Priss, i used a mix of the Main Add-on, Add-on #2 and the color kit. i love to mix up the kits, but they are always perfect on their own.

the color kit was came with some i've not hand-stitched in a long time. so it was a real treat to use the floss included in the color kit and punched shapes from the heavy glitter cardstock accents throughout the page.

lastly, probably my favorite layout, I Pity the Fool. and yes, it's an actual quote for my boy, ha! i love love it! makes me laugh every time i read this & the picture is just priceless. especially w/ his four missing teeth, just perfect!

this layout i used a mix of products from all the kits. i wanted this layout to be super simple, which i believe i achieved. definitely wanted the words and photo to take center stage along with pops of glittered stars that were curved to added depth on my page.

be sure to check out the entire design team gallery here and our pinterest gallery here. if you have not already purchased any of the kits are debating if you should add an additional kit, there are a few more  available; main kit and color kit. and the paper only kit.

xo!

Design Team Blog Hop | Lily Bee Design

Hi there, Lily Bee fans! You may have seen a couple of our new design team’s projects on the blog already but we thought it’d be fun to showcase the talents of our fabulous design team by doing a blog hop!

Our blog hop continues with this week's theme of Spring / Easter projects! We’re excited to be working with the following designers for the next year! They have created many inspirational projects using our new collections, so make sure you stop by each of their blogs to see their work and leave them some love and then head back over here for a chance to win some Lily Bee Design product of your own!

I created a simple Easter card using a variety of pattern papers from the Sweet Shoppe and Pinwheel collections. I used my Cameo to cut out the white bunny for a little pop and embellished it with a bow tie, pearl, twine and sequence.

Adrienne Alvis
Becky Williams
Christine Newman
Cindy Liebel YOU ARE HERE
Diana Fisher
Diane Payne
Heather Leopard 
Leslie Ashe
Nicole Nowosad
Patricia Roebuck
Stacey Michaud
Summer Fullerton
Wendy Sue Anderson

GIVEAWAY!

We’re giving away a Sweet Shoppe paper pack! 

• Comment on this blog post by midnight ET on 3/31/13, letting us know you completed the hop
• FOLLOW the Lily Bee Design blog in the upper right hand corner of our blog
• Like our Facebook page and share the blog hop link with your scrapbooking/cardmaking friends! Be sure to tag @LilyBeeDesign 
• Bonus: Make sure you are on our Newsletter mailing list

Good luck!

Your next stop is Diana Fisher I hope you have a wonderful and lovely Easter weekend! xoxo!

LB | spring layout...

come on mother nature, bring on SPRING!

well, today, we have snow. not even an inch & schools are closed. the roads are super slippery out today, so we are pretty much housebound. kids are happy to be home, still in their jammies, watching a little cartoons this morning before they decide it's time to play w/ their electronics.

& to be honest, i am glad we are getting snow, but i would have preferred all the white fluffy stuff between Dec and Feb. it's March & i'm ready for sunshiny days w/ a little warmth in the air so my home can breath a little Spring freshness.

until then, here is a layout i created using Lily Bee's wonderful Pinwheel collection for this weeks focus on highlighted on the blog here...

enjoy your Monday, xo!

Gossamer Blue | March no.3

quick post today...

baby girl is home sick AGAIN! not sure what is wrong w/ her. not a good time as i am heading out of town, luckily it's just over an hour away, but still. i'd love to stay home to take care of her, but this weekend has been planned for several months. plus, i'll admit, i'm looking forward to a little getaway & hanging out w/ some new scrappy peeps.

anyway, i'll leave you w/ the September 2012 edition of project life pages, went up on the Gossamer Blue blog yesterday. you can read & see closeups here..

happy Friday, xo!

Gossamer Blue | March no.2

good morning!

it's me again, with another layout share using this months Gossamer Blue add-on & color kits. i mixed it up with some LOVELY Elle's Studio goodness... one of my favorite things about my layout is using the twist ties to create my title treatment. it was pretty simple, yet not as simple as it may seem. just a matter of shaping each together to gluing pieces to form each letter was a little challenging, but fun.

& just incase you don't know, there is a special designer scrap lift challenge going on with the Gossamer Blue & Elle's Studio design team gallery's this month. you can check it out here for more details here... and enter by March 16th for your chance to win some scrappy goodness.

xo!