justem: little bits of this and that

Happy Monday!  I'm super excited to be a part of the Gossamer Blue + Elle's Studio Blog Hop today! This month, GB has teamed up with Elle's Studio to feature their fun new "Love You More" collection. I have been a huge fan of Elle's products for years!!  I was lucky to be a guest designer for her over the summer, and I was excited to work with her products again this month. The Love You More paper line is one of my favorite Elle's Studio lines EVER, and I love the new addition of the wood veneer!!  It's SO cute!  As always, Lori included a bunch of great coordinated product which all fit perfectly together to create my layout:

 These little hearts...so adorable!!

My favorite is the "LOVE" wood veneer!

  Are you ready to be inspired even more?  Hop along to these other great blogs for more projects from the Gossamer Blue and Elle's Studio teams:

 Adrienne Alvis
Anabelle O'Malley 
Becki Adams
Cindy Liebel
Emily Spahn - that's me! :) 
Evgenia Petzer
Heather Leopard 
Jenny Evans
Jessica Lohof 
Jill Cornell
Jina Jean
Juliana Michaels
Kasia Przybyt
Katie Ehmann 
Kim Moreno
Magda Mizera
Michelle Wooderson 
Michiko Kato 
Naomi Atkins 
Nicole Harper 
Patricia Roebuck
Stephanie Bryan
Valerie Bishop 
WaiSam Ho 
Yuki Shimada 

 Don't forget to stop by the Elle's Studio blog and the Gossamer Blue blog! Both companies are giving away some great prizes. To be entered, leave a comment on their blogs sharing what inspired you along the hop!

Project Life, Week 2

Happy Monday! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that our entire family was hit with the flu last week.  All five of us...all week long. It was definitely the longest amount of time I have ever been sick. I still don't feel great, but at least my high fever is finally gone - at one point it was 103.2. Inanity!!  There is still a lot of coughing around here, but slowly we are getting better!!  Last week really set me back in terms of scrapping.  I had almost finished my PL Week 2 last Sunday when I started getting sick. It then sat on my desk all week without being touched.  I had hoped to go back and "decorate" it up a bit more, but in my effort to just "get it done" each week, I just forced myself to leave it as it is and move on.  I really don't love it, but I'm already a week behind thanks to the flu...I can't afford to let myself get even MORE behind!! I blurred out a couple of details for privacy...but the rest of it is pretty self explanatory! ;)  There are Gossamer Blue, Pebbles, and Studio Calico cards.   I feel like I was all pumped up about Project Life this year, and the flu kinda killed it.  I have to get back on track this week!! 

So many beautiful reasons...

Happy Friday!!  Today I have a Pinspired post up on the Gossamer Blue blog!  I used two different pieces of Pinterest inspiration, including an Etsy print and a music poster. I had a really fun time making this layout, and I even include a short tutorial (along with some uber crappy iPhone pics taken at like 1 am) on how I created it. I am totally a sucker for handwritten text paper, and I LOVE this one from the new Studio Calico Print Shop line! I also wanted to have *most* of my layout be black and white with little pops of color, which was easy since the Gossamer Blue January kit was filled with all kinds of colorful goodies!

For more information on my process/inspiration/tutorial, hop on over to the Gossamer Blue blog!  Have a great day!

If at first you don't succeed... {or Take 2 at Project Life}

Two years ago, I sat down and attempted Project Life for the first time. I made myself a very detailed list of rules. I *knew* if I just followed my rules, I would be successful. But, I was not...and I threw in the towel around week 16.  I wanted to continue; I just couldn't find the time.  The problem - I didn't follow the rules. I got caught up in making my Project Life spreads look so cute and perfect and wonderful. I let myself be swayed by everybody else's Project Life...always wanting it to be bigger and better.  It became too time consuming, and that was completely my fault.  I honestly don't think I ever used a single "filler" card, because I felt like I had to use photos and stories and fill it all up with US. I made every photo and every journaling card detailed and fun. It was awesome...until it wasn't!!  

Here's the thing, though...I love looking at those 16 weeks that I did finish. In fact, they are some of my most favorite pages to look at. I love remembering all the little details of everyday life that I would have otherwise forgotten. So, this year I am trying again. I've made another set of "rules" - well, one rule - Keep It Simple.  Rounded corners? Square corners? Doesn't matter. Every photo doesn't need some kind of embellishment. Filler cards are okay. In fact I need to force myself to use them...because they are quick and easy...and cute!  I HAVE to keep it simple. In fact, it pained me not to add more to this spread. I really wanted to make it cuter, better...but I know it' s like an evil time-consuming vortex. Once I get pulled in...I'm a goner. ;) So, here it is...Week 1. It's nothing to write home about, but I love it nonetheless. I am DETERMINED to succeed this year! Most of the products comes from the January Gossamer Blue kit, but I added in some of my own washi and a few other things! The only thing that is missing is the dates on my "Week One" card...I still haven't found my box with ink in it yet!!  I've got roller date stamps galore, but zero ink. ;)

Are you tackling Project Life this year?  I'd love to see your Week One!  Link me up, and have a great day!

what i learned...

Good Morning!  Finally our "cold" spell is over (and by over I mean, it was still -8 this morning, but at least the windchill is no longer -40!) and M is off to school!  This means I can actually put into play our "routine" that I talked about last week!  Wish me luck!!  Today I have a layout to share made with my Gossamer Blue January kit.  If you follow me on Instagram, you probably noticed that I posted a selfie shot around the first of every month (sometimes I was a day early or late!!). This was a part of a challenge with my "Ventage" girls - Angie, Barb, Katrina and Stephanie.  At the end of the year I looked back at them, and it really made me think a little about myself and my looks. I have to be honest...I have never been a person who thought I looked very good. I have always hated photos of myself. I wouldn't say I had low self-esteem...it's not like I was crying in the bathroom over my ugliness, ha! It just wasn't something I really worried or cared about. I was not exactly attractive...and that was that. But, looking back at my photos from the past year...I actually thought to myself, "Well, emily...you don't look half bad!"  Even in the pictures where I haven't done my hair, and I'm not wearing any make-up, I realize that I look okay. I'm not a "young" woman anymore. I am a married mother of three. I am not as skinny as I used to be. I've got a ridiculous number of gray hairs. I don't have a clue how to look fashionable. But...it's okay.  I think I like this new me. She's not so bad. ;)  But anyway...this is supposed to be a post about the layout...

It's a pretty simple layout. It was already "busy" with all the pictures, I didn't think I needed to make it much crazier by adding a lot of paper and embellishments. :)  AND...it's 12x12 - shocking!!!  It was the only way to get all the pictures to fit! ;)  Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

My friend & my buddy...

Happy Sunday!  Last day of "vacation" before Justin goes back to work!  I'm headed to Illinois today in the snow and the cold to go to a baby shower. It's a 6 hour (round-trip) drive for a 3 hour shower. I might be crazy...or just a person who wants to support a good friend in the same way she has supported me all these years - you can decide!  Today I have my Gossamer Blue Main-Kit Only layout to share.  My son has a bunch of little catch-phrases that he likes to say over...and over...and over again!  Multiple times a day he will beckon his daddy, only to remind him, "You're my friend and my buddy."  I knew I had to make a layout that used his little statement as a title. All these fun Studio Calico Print Shop papers are perfect! :)

I'm finding myself outlining a lot lately, which is something I used to do on every single layout a couple of years ago. What goes around, comes around, I guess! This layout fits my "kinda crazy" layout style I fall into once in awhile. ;)  I really love it. It's funny (and I SWEAR I'm not complaining about this, just observing) that the layouts of mine that are really "out there" are the ones that never get comments or likes on public gallery sites. It's a good thing that I don't scrapbook for comments and likes. ;)  

Hope everybody is staying warm and having a great weekend!

Color Challenge!

Good Monday morning!  I had another "Pinspired with Gossamer Blue" challenge up on the GB Blog on Friday!  This month I chose a color challenge.  My layout includes the fun summer colors of orange, aqua, yellow and green:

To see all of the sample color pallettes and to find how how to play along for a chance to win a $10 Gossamer Blue gift card, check out the original post on the blog!  Have a great day!

**Also - if you are interested in another totally awesome scrapbooking sale, check out my good friend Barb's blog!  She's got some serious loot up for sale! Lots of past Studio Calico kits and add-ons and much more!  Go there. Now! ;)**

Love These Girls

Good Monday morning! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and weekend! We are home from a great little trip to visit family! I have one of my Gossamer Blue layouts to share with you today.  This layout actually came together pretty quickly, and even though it's a bit crazy, I really like the final result...probably because I just really love those girls at the top! ;)  These are the "Ventage Girls" that I refer to all the time and talked about in this post. I figured I should probably make a layout including them, since they are such an important part of my life!!

I used black and white photos because otherwise there was just TOO much color in this layout! (I know, who knew I would ever say such a thing!) There is a lot of fun new Fancy Pants product here, some Simple Stories brads and stickers, and a random mix of other products from the various kits. I loved how bright and fun this whole July kit was. :)  Have a great day!

**PS: I ended up selling ALL of my flat rate boxes, so I have deleted the post. Thank you SO much to everyone!  I still have a number of Studio Calico stamps left, if you scroll down!**

Little Red Wagon

Good Morning!  It's almost Friday! ;)  Today I have another Gossamer Blue layout to share!  I must admit, when I began this layout (at the Chicagoland Scrappers meet-up!) I was not diggin' it.  It just wasn't falling together for me. I liked the colors and the way the woodgrain from the wagon was mimicked in the pattern paper...I just wasn't feeling the overall design. Well, after some minor adjustments, I'm pretty happy with the result.  It doesn't hurt that H looks totally adorable in the photos!

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

Stillwater Date

Happy Monday!  This morning I have another Gossamer Blue May layout to share.  This was a layout that I threw together very quickly...and then added something...then added something else...then added something else! ;)  I hardly every scrapbook about things other than my kids anymore, so this was really fun for me, and I admittedly love the way it turned out!  It is definitely my favorite  of the layouts I created this month!  The title was cut on my Cameo using the font "Always in my Heart," and all of the goodies come from both the main kit and the various add-ons.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and a fun National Scrapbooking Day! :)