So, if you've visited my blog and headed over to my Pinterest, you'll notice that there's a few layouts posted there- along with the sketches that inspired me. If you haven't been over there yet, go check it out so you'll know what I'm talking about!!
Sketches really help me out. I feel like I lack in the creativity department all on my own, and as a result, I have come to find that I rely quite heavily on sketches. They're a great tool- may as well utilize them!
So, lets see...where do I begin?
Oh...my Klutz layout. I nearly broke my toe trying to use my foot as my weapon of choice to move the kids' potty out of my way one afternoon this past summer, and I wound up stubbing it instead of gracefully moving it. It didn't hurt so much that I passed out (which has happened to me before), but I sure did see stars! The bruise is testimony to that. I don't bruise often, and when I do, it takes quite a bit of force (or the right end of a certain object).
As far as my design goes, the blocking and the space for journalling really inspired me. I wanted to have enough space to journal about my aptitude for klutziness, and I wanted to find a design that was clean and simple. Lately I just don't want too much clutter or things going on. I've liked the clean and simple design style for quite some time. Now I'm adopting it as my own! You'll find that's true of all my layouts recently. I'm not sure if it will change, or if it does, it won't happen any time soon.
My By Herself layout is dedicated to Miss Maren, and her eagerness and desire to accomplish things on her own. It makes me really proud (and relieved, in a way) when she grabs the wash cloth from my hands and insists on washing herself after I've done washing her hair. She's growing up and showing her independence while she's at it, and that's what makes me so proud. Sadly, she soon won't need me for anything...I suppose I should enjoy helping her while it lasts!
I really liked the punching aspect of this layout, and think I might try and work more of it into my layouts and cards- especially full page punching. I love the way it looks! My favorite part of this layout: the journalling spot. Such a fun place to put it!
Since I made a layout all about Miss Maren, I figured I should do one all about Miss Addison. Both girls are so unique; I still marvel at how different they are, and they were born only 9 minutes apart! Addison is the thinker. She will sit and figure things out- try and make sense of how things work, or why they do the things they do. Sometimes the questions she asks impresses me- they are so deep for a soon-to-be-three-year-old!!!
She is also our affectionate little sweetheart. She's constantly asking for hugs and kisses and telling us she loves us- and not just loves us, but loves us very much. She's a beautiful little soul!
She's our clown. She's sharp, and often has witty comments in response to things we say or ask.
She's such a neat mixture of both Kyle and I; she's the perfect little package.
Both girls, as I tell them often, are just right.
What drew me to this sketch was the simplicity of the design. Just the picture and banners poking out from underneath. Tons of white space, and I think that's what initially pulled me in. Instead of banners, I wanted to use a round scallop circle stamp, but I wasn't liking it poking it out from the bottom; so, I moved it to the side. I feel it balances the design a bit better, with the third scallop circle functioning as the title mat and journaling spot. I absolutely LOVE the teal paper stamped in white, and then matted on top of the black card stock. That's my most favorite part of this layout!! (So is that sweet little lady bug brad that's hanging from the white ribbon. Way too adorable!!)
Lastly (for now), is my Fork Please layout. The girls are funny- they ask for forks for everything. Seriously. Ev.ery.thing!!! They would rather eat finger foods with forks than their fingers. They must have inherited their dislike of dirty hands from me. Even though I'll eat certain foods with my fingers and not utensils, I cannot stand dirty hands otherwise. Makes the whole of me feel icky.
I had a lot of fun putting this layout together. I love the stamping in the background- its grungy and terribly imperfect, but I like the effect it lends. I also love the dark shade of teal paper paired with the retro square patterned paper. The colors look fabulous together! The unexpected burst of colour the orange card stock adds is a lot of fun, too. I just wish the orange of the letter stickers was closer in tone to the paper. Oh well. The brightness of it really makes it pop.
My favorite aspect of my design is that giant flower. It came from Rebecca (beyondbzr) over at Scrapbook.com, and I'm finally getting around to using one (of the two) she sent. It was part of a prize I won last year. Whoo! What do I love so much about it? The inked edges of the flower. I used my More Mustard SU ink to color the edges, and I love the way it turned out! It gives quite a bit more dimension to an already beautiful flower. And, the leaf? Love.it!!! That came from a silk hydrangea flower (one of many, actually), that were used in a little project for my house, and I thought I'd hang onto the leaves instead of throwing them out along with the stems that the flowers came off of. The leaf may be a little large for the flower, but it still works well. In my humble opinion.
So, there you have it! I've caught you all up on my last couple layouts- all in one blog post. How about that for efficiency, hey?!
Speaking of winning prizes...I checked into my email this morning, and found an email from Emily Anderson, who works for Scrapbook.com. Those of you that are familiar with SB.com will be familiar with this name. I won $10 off my next purchase, just for uploading a layout to the gallery this week. And, you know what's funny?
I was thinking about just that very thing last night as I was trying to fall asleep in bed. I was just thinking to myself how nice it would be to win something like that from sb.com (though, I was day dreaming of winning $100). Meh, $10 is better than a boot in the pants!
Hopefully Kyle buys me another pre-paid Visa so that I can use up what's left on the one I currently have, AND the $10 off coupon that I just won. Before March 30. I've been hinting that Valentines would be a good opportunity to buy me another one...heh
Till next time!