2 Souls, 1 Love

With the busy schedule of school and homework (man, sometimes I sure miss working full-time!), it's been hard for me lately to create and scrapbook as much as I did two months ago. Even when there is time, school just really burns a girl out! So with those precious times that I do find myself at my desk - honestly, sometime I have to force myself, but after just ten minutes, I don't regret it - I don't stress about making sure I'm documenting every little moment of my life. Because if it starts giving you more stress, what's the fun in that, right?

For me, scrapbooking is just as much about being creative as it is about documenting memories. The layout I want to share with you today is just that - putting pretty products on a page with some nice photos. And throw in a sappy, corny title, because where else am I ever going to be able to do that??

Two Souls, One Love. Our relationship is far from perfect, which is something that's really been resonating as something to work on recently, but this still rings true to me, 100%. We're not perfect, but we can get through anything together with the love we have for each other and by the grace of God.

The layout is based on a loose grid, but to make it more interesting, I cut out some big, colorful flowers from an Elle's Studio paper, something that I've done previously here and have loved. Most of the other pieces in the grid are in the new collections at Elle's Studio.

Similar to that layout, I added embroidery floss behind and around some of the flower cutouts and other elements. I also machine stitched around many parts of the layout. These two additions give both subtle and bold dimension and texture.

Finished it off with a gold resin flower - because I love them, so why not? ;)

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!

Silly Boy | Elle's Studio Sketch

I've been somewhat of a scrapbooking slump lately. Maybe it's the cold winter, which makes me just want to curl in bed under poofy blankets with a book. Or maybe being back in school just drains all the energy from me. But then I recently received a small order from Elle's Studio with some of their new, gorgeous collections, which really got me right out of this and got me creating again! Woohoo for new scrapbooking goodies!

I thought it appropriate to put all these new goodies to use using a sketch, also from Elle's Studio. Here's a look at what it looks like:

I followed the sketch pretty closely, except that I used an 8.5x11 format, which I am still experimenting with these days. I like the challenge of the smaller space, and it's just so comforting to know that these will be able to store.

I loved that I was able to use this huge chipboard piece from Crate Paper, which I was having trouble thinking of a use for. It had some really girly articles of clothing hanging on the clothesline, so I just covered them up using some of my new pennant tags and clip tags (which I trimmed the clips off of).

Some of you might know how I like to alter items to fit my needs and style. And I'm also really not a fan of pink. There were some tags I got that were a bright pink that I didn't like, but I like the design/sayings. So I just took a red Copic marker and carefully went over the pink parts to make it a red color that matched my layout! Here's a before and after shot of a piece I did this with (that I didn't end up using on this page):

The red version is much better for me!

So many fun tags!

Maybe if you're in a bit of a slump, you can treat yourself to some new scrapbooking goodies too!! You know, as long as you don't go overboard and will actually be inspired ;) I'm definitely on a kick with these new products, so I'll be sharing more projects soon using them!
Until then, I hope you have a great start to your week :)

Life In Details Sponsor | Free printables

Today’s printable is extra special because I made it especially for the wonderful Life inDetails blog. They’re an Australian challenge blog completely dedicated to providing inspiration for Project Life and similar pocket systems, so if that’s your project of choice, definitely check them out!!

I had a special request to use the theme “family” or “thanksgiving,” so I tried to include some relating elements in my designs. In particular, the filler card was all about family and blessings, and it also ended up being my favorite one. I decided to use it as the title card for a layout and here is what I came up with:

I’m so happy that this layout was even featured on Elle’s Studio last month!! :)

Here's a look at the whole sheet of printables:

And you can download these for free here.

I hope you enjoy these designs! Whether you’re a regular follower or coming from the Life in Details blog, please do share anything you make with these printables, because I’d love to get some inspiration and see how you use it!! Who knows, maybe I’ll even feature your project ;)

Happy scrapping!

Life Right Now | Elle’s Studio Thursday Sketch

Recently, I’ve transitioned into making 8.5x11 layouts. I don’t think I’ll completely convert to this size, because I just love the freedom and space of a 12x12, but the smaller canvas is just a little challenge for me that I think is fun. It also means I can document lots of “smaller” things without fear of using too much stuff or taking up too much space (I’m legitimately afraid that within a few years, my scrapbooks are going to take over my apartment… tell me I’m not the only one who feels like this!!)

I decided to make a “Currently” layout. I haven’t done many of these before, because I include a lot of this stuff in my Project Life, but I just felt like showcasing it a bit more this time and making it onto its own layout. I’m also in a place right now that I really want to remember because I’m working my first co-op job, which will be over in just two months, and I want to remember the little things about life right now! Of course, I just had to take this opportunity to use the “Life Right Now” journaling card in my latest free printables. Then I decided to use this sketch by Elle’s Studio:

I really took to heart the advice that Glitter Girl gave in one of her most recent episodes to really use products you love on this page, as that gives another glimpse into your life right now. I cut into some of those beautiful papers from the Carta Bella “Hello Again” Collection, and finally used some cute chipboard from My Mind’s Eye “Cut and Paste.”

Instead of using mist like in the sketch, I decided to sprinkle little journaling spots around the page – love how Karen Grunberg always pulls this off so beautifully, so I thought I would give it a try. I think it works especially well for the bullet type journaling I had for this page.

So there’s my quick little layout of my life right now. Don’t forget to document yours! Life changes so fast and it’s important to include those little moments that make your life what it is. Sometimes, when I know I don’t have time for a full layout about it, I’ll still jot things down in my notebook or on my phone, so I can still look back on it in the future! Oh, and I'll be entering this into the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge, as anything goes this week!!

Before I leave you today, I also wanted to share some exciting news – I’m going to be contributing a guest post on the RUKristin Papercrafts blog for her Holiday Extravaganza!!! If you haven’t heard of this yet, be sure to check it out. It’s going to be fun and packed with awesome crafter contributors, so mark those dates on your calendar!!

Happy Monday, and have a great start to your week!!