justem: little bits of this and that

My Guys {Citrus Twist Guest Designer}

Happy Thursday!!  Only two more weeks of summer after this week!  Insanity!  Today I have another Citrus Twist layout to share with you.  I am a huge fan of the white on white look, so I tried it on this layout with the long uneven strips. I also was talking with the fabulous Melanie Blackburn about how she gets her perfect mist splotches. She shared that she "flicks" the end of the sprayer. I'm usually a "dropper" so I gave her new technique a try. They still aren't perfect, but it's different than my normal look, so that's cool. ;)  This is a pretty simple layout...not much explanation needed!  

Have a great day!! 

Sunflower Days!

Over the weekend, my family and I visited the Pope Farm Conservancy, where they were celebrating their annual Sunflower Days.  This was our first trip to since we are new to the area, and I knew immediately that this will be something we do every year! If you know me, you know I love sunflowers. I always have fresh sunflowers on my table during the summertime and for awhile I had a LOT of sunflower decor around my home.  My decorating style has changed, but my love of the sunflower has not - I was in heaven walking around these fields!  We took a ton of photos...here are just a few!

Dance Recital {Gossamer Blue Pinspired}

Happy Monday!  There are only three more weeks of summer!!! Where has the time gone?!  I had a new layout up on the Gossamer Blue blog on Friday as part of my monthly Pinspired challenge.  I had a pretty fantastic visual inspiration piece this month and had a great time making my layout!  Here is my final product:

 My favorite part of this layout is definitely the fun row of Teresa Collins brads!  I often have trouble using brads on my layouts, but these worked perfectly here!

For more information, including the original Pinspired piece, check out the post on the GB blog! Have a great day!

another public vs. private matter... ;)

Happy Friday!  It's been a couple of weeks since I announced my new public Facebook page and completed the giant friend purge of 2014. ;) Everyone has been super supportive of it, and I'm very appreciative of that!  In addition to this, I have decided to start a new public Instagram account as well.  I've long wanted to have a public Instagram account - a private one means that nobody but my followers can see my hashtags, which isn't idea when you are trying to promote a company like my design teams. It means I can't enter contests. It means I frequently turn people away, which I feel bad about.  My new account will basically feature everything the private one does with the exception of all the family photos...and ANYONE can follow it. Hooray!  If you follow me on Instagram, and we don't actually know each other, I would politely ask to you please follow my new account and unfollow my private account. If we know each other, feel free to like both!! ;) In a week or so, I may go in and start blocking people who I don't know. I feel like a jerk doing that, but it's just something I've had on my my mind for awhile. It's come to the point where I really do have two "social lives" - and I hope you understand my need for privacy. I am thankful to everyone for following me and sticking with me through these changes!!  And...do you see that photo over there? That's the new Gossamer Blue On My Desk line, which happens to be sitting on MY desk right now.  Lucky me! :)  Have a great weekend!

Summer Adventures {Gossamer Blue August}

Good Morning! Today I have another Gossamer Blue layout to share with you. This was made a mix of the different add-on kits + the main kit.  I will admit...this layout was one that did come together well. Sometimes I sit down with a plan and it works perfectly. Sometimes...not so much. I was pushing things around and adding elements and this is the final result. While I love so many individual parts of this layout (music paper?!, the black and white, those awesome Basic Grey flowers), I don't love the layout as a whole.    You win some...you lose some, I guess! ;)

1, 2, 3...Jump! {Farewell, Pebbles!}

As of August 1, I am officially done with my gig at Pebbles.  I have proudly designed for them for two years, and it's been wonderful watching them grow and evolve. They have some crazy cool releases right now...those new design team members are in for a treat!  Today I have my very last Pebbles layout to share. It's a little crazy. I guess I felt like going out with a bang. ;)  This uses their newest "Birthday Wishes" line, which is really fun, and colorful!  

 

Have a great Wednesday!

Summer Pops #3: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pops

If you only make ONE popsicle recipe this summer - make this one. ;)  This is our second time making these popsicles, and they remain at the very top of my favorites list! The recipe is super simple, and the results are deeeeeelicious. I think it's a combination of the vanilla and the salt that make this pop so yummy! I could seriously eat them every day. For this popsicle we used our Tovolo Groovy Ice Pop Molds, because, well...there was more surface area for the chocolate chips at the top. ;)  If you have been on the fence about making your own popsicles, definitely try this recipe! You won't be disappointed!!

Guest Designing for Citrus Twist!

Hi!  Remember my hints about some upcoming scrappy news - well one of the things I am excited about this month is that I am the guest designer for Citrus Twist kits! My introduction post was featured on their blog over the weekend. Check it out for a chance to win!! 

I will have be sharing my Citrus Twist layouts periodically throughout August, but here is my first one! I love this color scheme...and the little pops of black and gold are perfect!!  

Thanks so much to Trina and Citrus Twist for having  me this month! Have a great Monday!

Ten {Gossamer Blue August}

Happy August!  I cannot believe how quickly the summer is flying by!  One more month until school starts and my littlest guy turns a year old!  August is also a month with lots of fun scrappy news for me - stay tuned!  August first also means that a brand new Gossamer Blue kit will be available!  Did you see their Design Team announcement earlier this month? I'm so happy to be staying on for another year. This team has been a dream come true for me!  

Today I'm sharing my Main Kit only layout. I've seen a lot of people use these "plus signs" (is that the correct name? I don't even know!) in their layouts, and I'm a fan! I thought I'd give it a try. I cut these all out by hand. I originally tried to call my layout "You Plus Me" which would have cleverly incorporated the design with the title, but I just couldn't get those glittery foam letters to work right with my long title! ;) So..."TEN" it is! It's a super simple layout, but I like it.  Sometimes it's fun to just play with paper and not worry so much about embellishments and big titles and lots of journaling. :)

 

There is so much to love about this month's kit! I especially love the selection of whimsical, colorful patterned papers! It should be up for sale to the general public shortly! Go check it out!!  Have a August first and a fun weekend!  Thanks for stopping by! :)