July 2013 Studio Calico kit - Valley High

I'm a bit behind in my posting again - it is time to catch up!  My excuse is kind of funny.  I spilled wine on my computer a few weeks ago and now several keys on my computer don't work.  I took it in to get fixed, but the $800 estimate  was a bit to much for me to spend on a five year old computer.  So to type, I have to copy and paste the letters that don't work from other places and it is a major PITA!!!  So typing out a blog post is not as easy as it seems!

For today's post, I'm sharing the projects that I created with my July Studio  Calico kit, Valley High.  Most of the projects that I created this month have lots of other stuff thrown in from older kits or my stash.  I also just noticed that EVERY SINGLE layout has Crate frames from the Pier collection.  I love them!

Iconic

LHR

4th of July

Lots of Crate Paper from the Pier collection on this one.  

N.E. Aquarium

I  realized that I was kind of on a grid rut when I look at these layouts, but I love grids!  

Have a great week everyone! 

4th of July Projects

I thought I would sneak in these two projects before the month of July came to an end.  Craig's brother, nephew, and his nephew's friend came from France to spend three weeks in the USA during the month of July.  They arrived in Boston on the 3rd and spent the 4th of July holiday with us.  We took them to a Red Sox game, out for BBQ and to the Boston fireworks.  It was great but it was so extremely HOT! We snuck in to see a movie in between the dinner and fireworks just to cool off.

I started with the Crate Paper "The Pier" collection because I want to use as much of my supply up of that before the next collections come out.  I added a few items from July's Studio Calico kit and a few older kits as well.  One of my favorite items on the layout is the "4th of July" printable.  I had never printed or used one before and I may be hooked!  It added just the right touch to my page.  This one was a free one from the Two Peas digital store.

I made this card a while ago in an attempt to use up a huge roll of washi tape.  I put two strips of washi tape on the cardstock and then used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the flag shape.  I backed the card with the red and blue patterned papers.  Unfortunately, I forgot to send the card out this year.  

Did you create any projects for the 4th of July holiday?

Have a great week everyone!

May 2013 Studio Calico kit - Planetarium

Well, I don't know where the month has gone, but it is way past time for another "what I did with the month's Studio Calico kit from the time the kit arrived until the next month's kit arrived."  So here it is!

This first one is my favorite of the month.  The photos are from a cruise that my hubby and I went on several years ago.  

The page just didn't seem complete until I added the hemp twine across the top.  I think it looks a bit like a fisherman's net - perfect for an ocean page!

This next page documents our New Year's Eve tradition.  We always make Cioppino (a seafood stew) for our dinner.  Sometimes it is the two of us and sometimes we have a party, but we always serve Cioppino!

This next page just documents a Saturday we spent together recently.  I told my hubby that we could do whatever he wanted to do for the whole day.  We ended up going to a concert, going out for lunch, and then going to a movie.  My hubby loves to be out and about!

My last page has a lot of gold, glitter, and sequins!  We went to see the musical "Rock of Ages" when we were in London last month.  Towards the end of the production, there was gold confetti being thrown into the audience.  Of course, I had to pick some up to save for a scrapbook page!  The next day, we went back to take a few pictures of the front of the theatre since we couldn't take any pictures the night before.

I decided to play up the gold and cut my title out of gold POW glitter paper, used the gold and craft paper from Studio Calico, gold sequins and I punched out some more confetti out of the POW glitter paper.  Not my "normal" style (which I'm not sure what that is), but I think it turned out fun!

How many projects were you able to make with Studio Calico's May kit?

Have a good week everyone!

March 2013 Studio Calico kit - Neverland

Another month, another "what I did with my Studio Calico kit from the time it arrived at my door until the next month's kit arrived" post.

I got just the main kit this month, but picked up a few products from Two Peas that were in some of the add-ons.  I liked the kit, but didn't feel that the kit included enough embellishments.  There was a mask and a mini Mr. Huey in the kit, which is a fun idea (OCCASIONALLY), but I think it made the kit seem a little light.  Anyways.

The first layout is a photo of my husband's cousins daughter.  She was a flower girl at her uncle's wedding in France last month that I was lucky enough to be able to go to.

I started with the kit but then I decided I wanted to add some gold to the layout and it went a whole different direction.  I love using gold POW glitter paper in my Silhouette. 

The next layout is of my husband just after the wedding.  He was a groomsman and during the ceremony he and the five other groomsmen had to take turns holding crowns over the heads of the bride and groom.  It was not an easy task and this picture shows how glad he was that it was finally over!

I had picked up some Maggie Holmes line from Crate Paper and used some of that along with some washi from a previous kit.  I mixed some Mr. Huey with a bit of water and "painted" part of the background and then I went in and added some splatters.

"Shine" is a layout of my niece at the wedding.  Again, I started with the kit and then went a whole different direction, using more Maggie Holmes line and other bits from my stash.

The next layout is a really fun one.  There's a story behind the title that I typed out and is in the little Alison Kreft mini bags.  Basically, the story goes - Craig and I spent a day in New York City with my mom and dad and they both ordered meatloaf for lunch.  Out of all of the fabulous food that NYC has to offer, they ordered something they eat at home regularly!  This was way back in 1997 and the story has been told and re-told numerous times and my husband pretty much can't talk to my mom without mentioning meatloaf.

The photos aren't great and they aren't even at the restaurant where we had lunch that day (they are from that trip though.)  The photos really seemed to convey the feel of the story though.

So, how many projects did you get done with Neverland?

Have a great week everyone!

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

My sister and I were discussing project life one day - she does it, I do not - and it gave me an idea for a scrapbook layout.  I told her that I couldn't do project life because my weeks and days are basically the same for a good part of the year.  I'm a tax accountant, so I work long hours January through May.  (I specialize in non-profits, so my big deadline is May 15th - not April 15th.)  I wake up, commute to Boston, work 10, 11, or 12 hours, commute home, go to bed and do the same thing the next day.  At some point this year, I started waking up when the alarm rings at 5:20 and the thought "lather, rinse, repeat" went through my head.  Now it is my first thought every morning, so I thought it was a fitting title for this page.

I used the February Studio Calico kit, Front Row, with a few other items from my stash.  I thought the Days of the week washi tape from October Afternoon was very fitting.  The repeated the stamp from the kit across the bottom of the page represents Boston.

Have a great week, everyone!  Mine will be pretty much the same - lather, rinse, repeat!!

January 2013 Studio Calico kit - Block Party

I've enjoyed putting all of the layouts that I create from the current month's Studio Calico kit all in one post, so I'll continue this monthly feature in 2013.  I only post the layouts that I create from the time I get the kit until the next kit arrives at my door.  This challenges me to get as much done with the kit before I put it away.  I created four layouts and one card with the January kit.

This layout is probably my favorite of the month.  I love the photo of my kitty snoozing in the sun!

I did a lot of hand-stitching on this layout which was time consuming, but a lot of fun.

For this layout, I decided to try using circles.  I had cropped with Jennifer Larson in December and she said she loved using circles on her layout. I never really do, but was inspired to try.  I did some hand-stitching on this layout also.

This patterned paper was bright and fun - I thought it would be perfect for a birthday card.  I cut a circle out of the front of the card with my Silhouette.  The word "birthday" is layered over the empty space.  The word "happy" is actually on the inside of the card.

The last layout "Best Vacation Story Ever" was picked up by Scrapbook Trends to be published in the July 2013 issue, so I can't share it here yet!  

I was pretty pleased getting these five projects done with this kit.  It has been a few months since I got this much done.

How did you do with January's Studio Calico kit?

Have a great week everyone!

October 2012 Studio Calico - Roller Rink

My November 2012 Studio Calico kit arrived on my front porch Thursday night, so it is time for another blog post featuring all of the projects that I completed with the previous month's kit.

In October I got the main kit and two add-ons (kind of by mistake - I had a code for $25 that expired at the end of the month and forgot to use it when I purchased the first add-on - opps!!)  I have never bought two add-ons before and won't anytime soon - it is WAY too much for me!  I got a total of four layouts and two cards created with the kit.

This layout is my favorite of the month.

I call my little kitty by many names - and usually not by his real name!  I just thought this was a fun way to use the MME "Hello My Name Is" tag.  I cut the tag in half and used the bottom half at the top of the page under the banner.

This page I created with a photo I took of Craig's grandma Mayme on her 92nd birthday this summer.  

I thought the combination of colors and patterns had a very "antiquey" feel to them - a perfect look to scrapbook a layout about her age!

This layout I scrapbooked after Hurricane Sandy.  

My sister has pointed out that I printed "Irene" instead of Sandy - I'll have to fix that at some point!  We were lucky and didn't even lose power or anything.  We did have lots and lots of twigs and branches that we had to pick up this weekend though.

This layout is about my Grandma and Grandpa Booth's kitchen.

I usually ask for my mom's help when journaling about something from a long time ago, but this time I didn't.  I wanted to write down what I remembered without having my memories confirmed or denied.  

My last project was a card for my dad for Veteran's Day.  I was going to make a few 4th of July cards to use up some of the red/blue lined washi in the kit and I realized that the same card could be used for Veteran's Day.

This isn't the card that I sent to my dad - his was on kraft cardstock.  After I sent it, I wanted to see if it would look better on white and I think it does.

Have a great week everyone and enjoy your Veteran's Day holiday!

Grandma Mayme @ ninety-two

My husband and I drove home this afternoon after spending a weekend in Sturbridge, MA for Craig's cousin's wedding.  We were lucky that it was only an hour drive for us.  The rest of the family flew in from all over - California,  Texas, New Hampshire, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Switzerland.  We had a great time relaxing and spending time with our family.  

At the heart of the Ledvina family is Mayme - Craig's grandma.  She turned ninety-two this August and is looking as good as ever.  We are so lucky that she is able to fly across the country and attend special events with her family still.

Here is a photo of my husband, Mayme and I from the reception this weekend.

She's the shortest thing ever - so cute!

We were able to be with her on her 92nd birthday this August.  We had a cookout at Craig's parents cottage in Wisconsin.  I created this layout of a picture that I took of her that day.

The layout was created with the October 2012 Studio Calico kit, Roller Rink.  The kit included gold washi, which I didn't initially think I would use.  On this layout, I ended up using it as a border for the photo, the border for the layout, and then I punched flowers out of it and surrounded the photo with them.  I love when I end up using something I normally wouldn't because it came with a Studio Calico kit.

Stay safe for those of you that are in Hurricane Sandy's path!

July 2012 Studio Calico - Elmwood Park

Today I'm sharing all of the layouts that I created with the July 2012 Studio Calico kit, Elmwood Park, from the time the kit came until I received the August kit.  This post is a little late this month due to a vacation last week and really bad internet connection in the woods of Wisconsin!

I absolutely loved Elmwood Park and created seven layouts with it!  In addition to the main kit, I also got the add-on Monkey Bars.

My first layout, "I Took Shorthand," is the second in my random fact series.  The October Afternoon paper from the 9 to 5 collection couldn't have been more perfect for the layout, especially since I didn't really have a photo to go along with the topic.

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the circle/bubble cluster out on the layout "The Look of Terror."  It was time consuming to back it with different patterned papers, but I love the way it turned out.

"Laurie's Pond" has some fun misting and I used the Silhouette to cut out some cattails to embellish the page.  The photos are some really old ones of my parents.

I did some fun layering on my layout "Kitty Love."  I loved the Basicgrey paper with the big letters on it and cut them out for my title.

This next layout "The Ledvina Farm" is pretty much a scraplift of "Kitty Love."  I received the cow stamp from a RAK from a SC gal and put it to good use right away!

I used the stamp set in add-on #4 to create a word border on my layout "Topsfield Fair."

My last layout "Quebec City" was spotted by the team at Scrapbooking Mag and will be published in an upcoming issue of their new Ipad only magazine.

I've been on vacation since the 17th and haven't had a chance to do anything with the August kit!  I'm hoping to play with it tonight!

Have a great week everyone!

August Crate Color Challenge

The color palette for the August Crate Color Challenge was posted here just over a week ago.  The colors for the month are:  vintage linen, pear green, and sea glass blue.

I started by going through all of my Crate products and pulling out the papers and embellishments that I thought might work.  Then I peeked through some recent photos of mine and found one that I could use.  My husband and I spent four nights in Quebec City this July and I had taken this photo of the outside dining area of the restaurant that we ate at.

I ended up using patterned papers from three different lines:  Pretty Party, Emma's Shoppe, and Portrait.  The embellies were all from Pretty Party, with two OA buttons and a couple of Prima crystals added.  I also added a little strip of Freckled Fawn washi.  I did just a bit of misting with Studio Calico's Mister Huey in Dewey.  I had kept the receipts from the restaurant, so I tucked them in behind the photo and stapled them with my tiny attacher.

The "flower 4-petal square" design from Silhouette that I used here may be my new favorite design.  I think it is fabulous for layering!

Have a great week everyone!

April 2012 Studio Calico - City of Lights

Every month this year, I have been sharing all of the layouts and/or cards that I create with my Studio Calico kit from the time the kit arrives until the time the new kit arrives.  I love seeing them all together!  I'm a little late this month, but here are my projects from the April 2012 kit, City of Lights.

I always claim not to be a huge washi user, but as I posted the first four projects from the April 2012 kit, I noticed that I used washi on all four of them.  I LOVE the yellow chevron washi from the kit!  In this layout, "this is the life,"  I used it to cover the wooden sun embellishment.

I love the Prairie Hill collection from Pink Paislee and as soon as I saw the yellow dotted paper in the kit, I knew I was going to scrap this photo of me on my first birthday.  The color and the vintage feel of the papers were perfect.

I used the Pink Paislee mask that was included in the kit on this layout.  The nozzle on my Sunshine Mr. Huey wasn't working quite right and was more blotchy than I wanted it to be.  I almost decided to start over, but I decided just to go with it, and I love the way that the layout turned out.

I created a card for my husband's 43rd birthday with the kit.  It turned out so cute, I decided to submit it to Cards magazine and it was picked up to be published in the October 2012 issue.  Woot!

I was inspired to create this layout when I saw this bicycle silhouette in the Silhouette design store.  I knew I had a vintage photo of a little girl on a bike.  The photo is of my dad's cousin, Lorraine, from 1945.  I used bits and pieces from older kits in this layout.

This is my favorite layout that I created from the kit.  I created this layout for the May Crate color challenge and the SC triangle challenge on NSD.  I have always loved this photo that I took of my husband on a walk we took on the beach on a fall day.  The color combination from the challenge seemed perfect for the layout.  I wasn't the winner of the challenge, but my layout was featured on the Crate blog (see sidebar.)

I've opened the May 2012 Studio Calico kit, 35mm, but I've only created one layout with it so far.  I better get going if I am going to feature my layouts from the kit next month!

Have a great week everyone!

Happy 43rd Birthday!

I had to bring my husband to the airport today for a flight to San Francisco for a week and then on to Tokyo for a week.  I'm really sad that I won't see him for 15 days!  I'm not used to the fact that he has to travel for work now.  We got to spend some quality time together this week though, going out for dinner for his birthday on Wednesday and then cooking a nice meal together on Saturday night and watching a movie (although a bad movie!.)  I thought I'd share the card that I made for his birthday.

I made the card with the April Studio Calico kit, City of Lights (with the exception of the yellow dotted paper.)  The three different colored washi tapes that were in the kit went together perfectly and then the ad card from the kit just happened to have the same colors.  This card is really liftable - please feel free to borrow it!  Just grab three coordinating washi tapes and find some scraps of paper to make into pleated folded flowers.  I think I'm going to lift it myself and make a card for my niece who has a birthday coming up!

Have a great week everyone!

Finally Spring!

I love the sight of forsythia blooming in the early spring!  It not only means that spring is on its way, but to a tax accountant like me, it means that tax season is almost over!  I'm not sure which one I get more excited about.  

I took this photo on Easter Sunday and wanted to create a layout about my happiness that spring is here and tax season is finally done.  I also had taken a photo of some pretty pink tulips that I had planned on using the page, but I couldn't make it work.  That is how the pink/yellow color scheme originally came about though.  

I used the April 2012 Studio Calico kit, City of Lights, for my layout.  I loved the Pink Paislee mask that come with the kit and that was the starting point for my page.  I printed my journaling over the misting which I got a couple of comments about.  I actually have a photo printer which can print photos up to 12" X 17".  I use that for all of my journaling, so printing on a 12" X12" piece of cardstock is no problem.  The mist colors are piglet (LOVE!) and sunshine Mister Hueys.

Happy spring, happy end of tax season, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND!

Have a great week everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day!

For Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share a layout that I created over the weekend with the February 2012 Studio Calico kit, Daydream Believer.  Such a great kit!  The layout is a really old photo of my grandparents, Art and Ruth.  I'll have to ask my mom about when she thinks the photo was taken - I'm not sure, but it could maybe be around 1920? 

My mother gave me my grandma Ruth's wedding ring and wedding band several years ago and I have been wearing them ever since.  I could tell that the band was inscribed, but I couldn't make out what it said.  When I was at my parent's house over Christmas, I asked my dad for a magnifying glass (because dads have those kinds of things!) so that I could try to read the inscription.  We were in the living room and as I could make out each letter, I read them aloud:  A L - R G Apr 19.  Those were my grandparent's initials and their wedding date.

My mother instantly teared up.  I'm not sure what she was thinking about or remembering, but seeing the inscription made me think about my grandparents long before they were grandparents.  It made me think about them being young and in love and excited about getting married and spending the rest of their lives together.  I don't think we really think about our grandparents that way too often. 

Here is a close up of the journaling card that I created:

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!