The Good Life

LAYOUT SHARE: YOU & ME

Thanks to my dear friend Lala for the Overlay & Mintay papers of Kaera Crafts I really had fun layering and consuming almost 100 pcs of glue dots 😂 while watching Penthouse and getting crazy over the storyline. Here's a quick video of the finishing touches. 

12X12 LAYOUT THAT TOOK TWO DAYS TO MAKE

For me, every project starts with a  beautiful paper. The moment I saw this in my stash, I know immediately that I wanted to fussy cut those gorgeous flowers and turn it into a layout. I know the process will take a while as I am scared of 12x12 size, but the idea was too strong to ignore. So, I did. 

After fussy cutting, I used my gold Sakura Gelly roll to add speckle of gold to the stamen then got the idea last night to add stitching around the flowers, but I was too tired to do it.  I decided to just do it the following day besides not all flowers will have stitching. That would only take several minutes to be done. I was so wrong. 

After breakfast (around 9am), I got the sewing machine from my mom's table and discovered that the threads I want to use are not yet wind to the bobbins. I'm using two colors and that's 4 bobbin to wind. I spent the whole morning winding a bobbin and when I'm done, It's lunch time. I had to stop to eat. 

After lunch, I went back to where I left off. I slowly stitched the flowers one by one making sure that I will not tear up the papers in the process. After this, I prepared my 12x12 paper base. 

I decided to use a white textured cardstock (Bazzil)  because I wanted to try a technique. Making a splatter using acrylic paint (Art Ranger Acrylic Colour, Pastel Set) and watercolor (Prima Confections, Complexions Set) to break the white space. 

The fun part begun at around 2pm in the afternoon. I adhere the photo first at the center with double-sided tape (Croco brand is my favorite) and then arranged the main flowers and adhere it with Elmer's Glue All. After that, I used my sewing machine to secure it. I do this on repeat per section. 

When all the adhering was done, I used a paintbrush body to slowly lift up some edges of the flowers & leaves, then, I placed the word " celebrate" in the center and scatter the "moments" word. I decided not to add journaling and instead add 3 rose gold enamel dots. Lastly, I did a final messy stitching to finish the layout. 

The tedious process was so worth. It looks chaotic, but when you look at it closely, the photo will let you in and make you want to inspect the details. :)

Note: All links/brands are not affiliated with me. All materials were bought. 

PIXEL SCRAPPER

I discovered digital scrapbooking 16 years ago and it's been a sweet journey. I evolved from someone who was very scared to open a computer in the beginning into someone who is now using a graphic tablet to design. If I'm going to go back from the beginning, I would like to have a road map like this one https://www.digitalscrapbook.com/what-is-digital-scrapbooking for me to navigate the simple and yet complex world of digital scrapbooking.

At that time, I was all over the place because there's no specific place to get all the information I needed. I was a bit loss and confused on what I really want to do. Do I want to be a designer or a scrapbooker? Do I want to make a hobby out of it or earn a living from it? What software should I use? All those things were answered eventually, but you know being a newbie at anything, we all want a place to have all that questions answer and so much more. 

I'm very happy to be part of a friendly and good community in Pixel Scrapper. I may not be as active as I want to be due to some other stuff I do, but If I need anything, I just navigate the forum for answers or contact their customer service. 

They help me a lot with my digital products which is part of my monthly box kit. I have a theme each month and designing a digital product and finding the essential elements would be a nightmare for me if it's not organize the way they do it on their website. I have to say that I feel blessed each time I use the search bottom. Everything is tagged accordingly making the search easy peasy.

They also have this check mark to easily track what I previously downloaded. How cool is that little feature? Very cool in my book as I always lost track of what I have in my drive. The best part is, when you unzip the files they are name appropriately. There's no second guessing where I get it (as I have several websites I got my essentials). Ultimately, they make designing my products a breeze and simple. The final product is always what I envision it to be. 

I recently downloaded this beautiful kit by Sharon Dewi Stolp. I wanted to create a personal layout for hubby before the February end. And the colors she used here match what I have in mind. Just perfect. :) 

I'm also venturing into travelers notebook format. Glad they have this category for me to try this current trend. I still have many projects in my mind, but for now, these are the things I want to focus on. I am seriously grateful for how organized their site is. Make my life easy. :)