:: what a BEAuty ::

Fun. Colorful. Used a lot of stuff.  Got to play.  #winning.

What a BEAuty (<<< see what I did there?).  Quite a bit of Amy Tangerine Finder's Keepers made it on to this layout. Amy Tan's stuff always matches that water color look, which I happen to completely dig. 

Lots of layers, which mostly came from cards in SWAG bags, and I added a flair from {a flair for buttons} that matched perfectly (and reminds me to breathe, which is helpful). 

The story is simple. It's about a girl, dressed like her favorite fairy, watching Batman (and sometimes, she is Batman -- mostly on the weekends).

A splash of color all over the background -- made by me, using gelatos. I love me some gelatos. 

I'm sharing this one with the ladies over in the Paper Issues {friends & fans} Facebook group. They are really a fun group of peeps. Each month there are tons of challenges and ways to play along (and possibly win a gift card to the Paper Issues Store). I based this layout on the Scrap Lift Sunday challenge. Each Sunday a layout is posted, and we get to lift it! This past week's layout was create by PI girl Mary-Ann Maldonado.

Pop in and check out all the goings on! If your looking to purchase some of the new goodies in the Paper Issues Store -- don't forget to use the code 'orangegearle' for 20% off your purchase!

:: a silly climber ::

It's (P)inspire Me Monday on the Paper Issues blog today and I got to play along this month!

For this layout I grabbed some Pink Paislee Memorandum and some flair from {a flair for buttons} and got busy. Here is the (P)inspiration:

I took my inspiration from the colors and the circles.

Are you (P)inspired?? Play along with us here!

..:: october : what's in my planner ::..

So yeah, I love my Get to Work Book.  Here is my October spread.

Colored pencils #FTW

Stamps, markers, and colored pencils, oh my!

 Last year's Elle's Studio Halloween collection. Eek! I love.


Until next time!

:: end of an era ::

It's product spotlight time on the Paper Issues blog! Today design team members are showing off Dear Lizzy's Documentary collection.

I started with white card stock and used papers mostly from the 6x6 paper pad for this layout. I got a little messy with a few paint spatters and some messy stitching. I added some of the puffy stickers and little wooden bits from the collection as well.  I love the yellow and pink pastel-ish colors with that black contrast!

The story is all about our neighborhood kids playing together on A's last night in the neighborhood (she's moved to a new house)! In this particular photo they were picking who was "it" by saying the "bubble gum, bubble gum, in a dish" rhyme. So I scribbled that rhyme around the outside of the stitching over and over. 

I also used the roller stamp that came in the Dear Lizzy collection -- this one says "follow your heart". Love it!

Cassie is adding new things to the store all the time -- I've seen fall collections and Christmas collections and all kinds of other new yumminess -- check it out here. And don't forget to use the code 'orangegearle' for 20% off your entire purchase!

..:: lists : what's in my planner ::..

With school and work starting back up, and lots of fall birthday celebrations, many, many lists have been inserted into my Get To Work Book lately and I thought I'd share! We are sharing our lists on the Paper Issues Blog today!

Once again I have to say I love the simplicity and neutral look of the Get to Work Book. It's a blank palette for me to work with each week!  As usual, I pulled out the watercolors for my three blocks along the side and the days of the week across the top.  This has been my go to, and I am still loving it.

This is how I do lists in my planner. I use the three blocks along the left side as my three major categories.  In those boxes I put the "general" stuff I want to get done for the week; each block a different category of my life: home, work, and play. Then, throughout the week, I insert lists of tasks to complete -- these are much smaller, day to day tasks that lead up to finishing the stuff on the far left. For example, in my work block, I have "facilitation". I facilitate many meetings and work sessions throughout the week and there are several steps to make that happen.  So on the week days I add in the smaller steps to make facilitation happen. This helps me break things in to smaller pieces (less overwhelming) and it gives me lots of stuff to check off (which just feels good)!

I try to leave some extra spots to add in to do items as the week progresses -- stuff that I didn't anticipate or sometimes things that are added to the plate. I use a stamp for those little checkboxes, so I stick a few extras in there just in case I'm without my stamp when I'm adding to the list (sometimes I just make a box with my pen, too)!

This week I also added in some stamped leaves and fall sayings (Ali Edwards), just for fun.  And that card?  Don't you love that card?  It's from Paper Issues (order something and you will get one in your package)! In my spread this week, that little fox flips up and there's more "to do" underneath. Something important I should mention: Are you ready to Scrap and Chat with us this Friday in the Paper Issues {Friends & Fans} group?  It's quite the party, and there are prizes!

Pretty much all of the pretty papers and embellishments on my spread this week are from the absolutely beautiful Cedar Lane collection by Pink Paislee. It is a grande collection! Grab some in the Paper Issues store -- and don't forget to use the code orangegearle for 20% off your total purchase!

:: strike a pose ::

Amy Tangerine Finder's Keepers collection + free cut file from Paper Issues = 

Shopping at Target with Daddy -- these are the photos that get texted to me. I am so lucky to have them both.

I love it when I get to use a direct "B. quote" as part of my journaling!

In this case, I also couldn't resist a bit of Madonna. Look at B. ham it up! So lucky to have her. 

I'm sharing this to our Paper Issues {Friends and Fans} group, because those stars are from a free cut file used in the most recent Cut it Out Saturday on the Paper Issues Blog.

Want to grab those free files?  Want some Amy Tangerine? There are also some super fun fall lines in the shop (it's starting to cool off here, is it where you are?)!  Grab what you need in the store and use the code orange gearle for 20% off your entire purchase!

..:: PaperPOPs : what's in my planner ::..

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a new addiction.

See that cute flamingo in my planner -- it's called a PaperPOP and it's awesomely cute.  There are tons of different styles and they are made by Jen Chesnick of Parker On the Porch, and they are in the Paper Issues Store, here.  I used glue dots to put a paper clip on this one to use in my planner. 

This is how that cute little flamingo looks in my planner this week:

This is my labor day week spread in my Get To Work Book (that I am loving). I used papers and die cuts from Amy Tangerines latest collection Finders Keepers, and, of course, some water colors.

I used two different sized flat brushes to go all around the outside of the page with pink and orange (inspired by Amy Tan's papers). Then I painted the three squares along the side where my major tasks go and the days of the week along the top (I pretty much do something like that each week). I added two more squares above and below using patterned papers from the Finders Keepers Collection. To unify them a bit, I mimicked stitches using a black pen around the edges (to be transparent, I go this idea from one of the Amy Tan's papers, too)! 

This is my labor day week spread, and even though it was a three day weekend, it was a busy one, so as I was creating, I was looking forward to some time at home. I grabbed a new date stamp by Dear Lizzy and stamped pretty please several times on Saturday's day. Added a die cut of a house, and wrote 'let's stay home' with the typewriter and watercolors.

Check out this blogpost at Paper Issues for more inspiration.  Gotta grab some PaperPOPs or Amy tangerine papers, or jus about anything else?  Don't forget to use the code orangegearle for 20% off your order!

:: rad friends. addicted gamerz. ::

It's time to get inspired with Sketchy Saturday over on the Paper Issues blog!  Here is the inspiration piece by Lisa Dickinson for Elle's Studio, and the Paper Issues sketch.

And here is my take on the sketch using Simple Stories So Rad collection:

You can play along with us! Share your project using this sketch as inspiration in our Challenge Album located in our Paper Issues {Friends and Fans} group for the chance to win a Paper Issues Gift Card!

Looking for the So Rad collection?  We have it!  Looking for the new Bella?  Amy Tan? Dear Lizzy? We have it.  And oh so much more. Check it all out here, and don't forget to use the code orangegearle for 20% off your order.

:: on target for kindergarten ::

It's new issue Monday on the Paper Issues Blog! I love me a new issue, and I absolutely loved working with Shimelle's True Stories collection.

The new issue, called You Rule The School, was perfect for this photo of my daughter when we went back to school shopping!

All the primary colors in this collection were perfect.  I used the heart vellum and my Silhouette Cameo to cut out an envelope for behind the photo and card.  See that little piece of yellow? If you pull that out, B.'s school supply list, and the receipt from our adventure are attached and years down the road we should be able to see how much everything cost. Which is cool, yo!

Some other ideas for the You Rule the School issue: School supply shopping, first day of school school portraits; use a ruler, book patterned papers or embellishments; tells us about school related awards or achievements; use the issue title as the title of your project; use a free printable from the Paper Issues store!

Carpe Diem, folks!  See you soon!

:: be awesome ::

Have I mentioned how much I love Crate Paper?  Have I shared my love for their Wonder collection? Yes, Yes, I have, but I'm sharing again. This time as part of a Product Spotlight over on the Paper Issues Blog.

I also used a Scraplift Sunday Layout by Jen Boumis as design inspiration.  

You can participate in ScrapLift Sunday, Card Sketch challenges, Sketchy Saturday sketches, PinSpire Me Mondays, Lets Plan On It challenges, and oh so much more on FaceBook, in the Paper Issues {Friends & Fans} group.  If you aren't a member - why aren't you????  

Grab some Crate Paper or just about anything else at Paper Issues Store, use the code for 20% off.

:: live in the moment ::

Pinspire me Monday over on the Paper Issues Blog!  Here's the inspiration:

And here is my take on it:

I'm using Shimelle's True Stories collection.



The colors in the collection were perfect for the (P)inspiration. Don't you love those alphas?



I also used a couple of die cuts and the wooden buttons from the collection. I cut one of the patterned papers (english breakfast) -- tons of stripes -- and placed it over the yellow patterned paper.  Then I machine stitched through each strip -- this is inspired by stripes on the quote part of the (p)inspiration piece.

And the story. The story is all about B. singing and dancing and jumping "in the rain" with her umbrella (I chose this story and photo because of the cutie with the umbrella in the (p)inspiration piece).


This was a fun one to make!  Want to play along?  Get the details here.

Pick up Shimelle's latest collection or just about anything else you can think of at the Paper Issues Store.  Use the code orangegearle and get 20% off your entire purchase!

See you soon!

:: a splash of fun ::

Hi friends! I'm up on the Paper Issues blog today with a layout created with products from October Afternoon!

Check out the Paper Issues blog today to see more inspiration from the design team.


I super loved working with this product!! There's still some in the store, along with a bunch of newer stuff as well!  Don't forget to use the code orangegearle for 20% off your entire purchase!

:: wonderful, brave, & happy spirit :: new issue monday

It's New Issue Monday on the Paper Issues Blog!  This issue is All About that Face! I'm linking up this layout for sure!

I couldn't resist this photo of our sweet B. That face! She was so excited about the first day of swimming lessons!

And what about that Crate Paper??  Holy smokes!  I am in love with the Crate Paper Wonder collection, and it was perfect for these photos. There are tons of new products in the store. Grab some Crate Paper or anything else and don't forget to use the code orangegearle for 20% off your purchase!

More details on the issue: As you can probably guess, this is all about photos. Whether they include faces or not, we want to see macro photos/close ups, portraits, team photos, selfies, funny face photos, "bad" photos, vintage photos, group photos, Instagram photos...You get the idea, right?  Download August's free printable, The Beach is Calling, from the Paper Issues store and use one or more of the cards on your project.

Link up your projects for a chance to win a $20 gift card to the Paper Issues Store!


See you soon!