All the Colors

Sometimes I get stuck in a color rut - lately its been all about blue and yellow.  But the April kits from Citrus Twist had lots of bright, fun colors.  So I went looking for a picture that would work with a layout that uses all the colors.  I found an old one of my daughter looking through her haul on Halloween.

Then I hunted down a sketch that provided the chance to use lots of layers and bits so I could pull out the colors in the photo.  The April sketch at Paper Issues was perfect!

I focused on the layered horizontal elements, the large circle, the banner and the tag for my layout. 

I started with papers from the April Citrus Twist kits - the green, the black and white stripe and the small piece under the tag.  Then I went to my scraps and stash to pull out other pieces.  .  I was excited to used the acrylic "hooray" from a recent haul from Colorcast Designs.  Then I kept adding bits from both the Citrus Twist kits and my stash til I felt like the layout was balanced.  The bit of black and white polka dot paper was the last thing I added - and it made all the difference - it seemed to ground the whole layout.

I hope your Tuesday is filled with all the colors - thanks for stopping by.

Those Words

Every so often I read a blog post where someone is talking about being inspired by product.  And I never quite understand - I love all my pretty paper and embellishments but they don't really inspire a project. 

But then I got my hand on these acetate words from the Life Noted Collection by Pinkfresh Studio. 

I had a pack in my stash but haven't cracked them open.  But a partial pack came in my April Citrus Twist kits - And they are amazing.  The colors are bright and fun, but the translucent nature of the product adds a certain lightness. I immediately tried to use as many of them as I could on a single layout.

My first idea was to use them to create a patterned paper feel across the bottom of my layout - and that looked pretty awesome, but I couldn't figure out the rest of the layout.  So I ended up with a basic grid design.

Products from April kits at Citrus Twist kits

They were so much fun and really framed the photo perfectly.  I was also excited to see how well they worked with other embellishment pieces - especially the Amy Tangerine Better Together rubber bits. 

I've just about used up the ones that came in my kit - now the challenge is to keep myself from hoarding the pack I have in my stash.  Oh - and when I was looking for a product photo for this post, they were gone at most of my favorite online stores.  But it turns out they are on sale at Scrapbook.com.

Hope you have a great Monday. 

It's All About Embellishment Clusters

I'll admit it - I love embellishments.  I love buying them, sorting them, and using them.  Sometimes my husband says my layouts are more about the embellishments than the photos (and sometimes he might be right).  They just might be my favorite thing about scrapbooking.  After all, embellishments provide so many opportunities for mixing and matching, for creating a mood  or bringing back a feeling and just making a layout my own. 

So when I saw the April 1 sketch at Stuck?!, I was super excited.  It just cried out for embellishment clusters.

I started by pulling supplies from the March kits at Studio Calico (Homespun and the add ons).  One of the add-ons included the die cuts from the Maggie Holmes Bloom collection so I had lots to play with.  Then I dug through some old pictures and found a photo that inspired me and seemed to go with the papers and embellishments I'd set out.

And I'll be honest - I didn't start with the photo block or the focal point of the layout.  Instead I started with my favorite part of the sketch - the embellishment cluster at the bottom of the page.

 I added some extra die cuts, wood veneer, enamel dots and washi from my stash.  And I made some decisions.  I knew I didn't want everything to be perfectly square so I used a long narrow acetate diecut to anchor the cluster and arranged embellishments in a bit of a topsy-turvy way to try and keep a bit of a fun feel to the layout.

Then I got to work and used the patterned papers I pulled to create the photo block and the focal point of the layout.  The photo block included another large embellishment cluster - this one built mostly from floral pieces from that Maggie Holmes die cut pack.  I used foam squares under some of the pieces to add dimension.  I also layered some of  the die cuts under the paper layouts for added interest.

I did add a few wood veneer hearts and some enamel dots to link this cluster to the embellishments at the bottom of the page.  I also repeated the sparkly "XO" but layered it on top of my photo in some dead space.

I thought I was done at this point, but I let the layout sit for about 30 minutes and came back to give it a second look.  I decided I needed something to balance the floral cluster on the other side of the photo.  I went back to the Maggie Homes die-cuts and some paper scraps.  Another wood heart and some more enamel dots finished it off.

I used the "E" for my daughter's initial - I can't spell "LOVE" anymore but it worked perfectly here.  And I used a scrap of floral vellum under the tag with the heart cut-out.  I used foam dots under the die cut to make the most out of the airy feel of the vellum.

After that I was just about done.  I added the title (I'm seriously addicted to those black rubber alphas from the kit) and some gold ink splatters.  And I made sure some splatters fell on top of the die cuts to help bring everything together.    Here's what I ended up with.

I have to admit that I lvoe everything about this one.  All those flowers are a bit out of the norm for me but they were so much fun to play with!

Thanks for stopping by - hope you have a great Sunday.

Tool Talk - Distressing

I don't have any Workspace Wednesday Hints this week, but as I've been slowly cleaning and organizing in my craft room, its lots of fun to find some of those forgotten items (both tools and supplies) that were past favorites.   And sometimes those old favorites work with new goodies to provide inspiration for the perfect layout.  This is a big advantage over a big purge with help from my daughter - she's great about pushing me to purge and keeping me focused,  but she doesn't give me the time to appreciate finds and put them to work.

So last week I came across my Creative Memories distressing tool.  It is really just a blade in a handle with notches that makes it easy to pull along a sheet of paper for fun distressed edges.

 As soon as I saw it, I knew all those pretty papers in the Studio Calico Savannah scrapbook kits just demanded to be used on a pretty "shabby chic" layout.  So I pulled a bunch of papers and scraps and cut rough squares and rectangles in a  variety of sizes.  I ran each piece through the distressing tool on all 4 sides.  I wanted to run an ink pad along the distressed edges for added dimension.  But the charcoal I started with appeared to dark in many instances - so I used gold to accent the distressed edges.

 The papers were really pretty but I wanted to add more details and layers.  I had added two sheets of stickers from the Basic Gray Dear Heart collection to my box and they were perfect for this.  I used the distressing tool and ink on the stickers too - but the gray seemed to work better this time.  I added the stickers between the layers and in a cluster at the bottom of the photo. 

The title is from the Pinkfresh Studios Happy Thing collection and is another goodie I rediscovered recently - I still have a couple of words left there to use up.  (I have determined that the reason my supplies appear to be so out of control is that I never finish anything - so I am trying to finish at least one partial pack of something every week this year.  I don't figure I will do it every week, but I do think I will finish some things if I work on it.)

 I finished the layout with a couple of distressed pieces of paper at the top of the page and added a small embellishment cluster.  The pink rubber banner was from the November Studio Calico kit and the color was perfect for this Thanksgiving layout. 

And the distressing tool - it is now in the tool caddy on my desk - I wouldn't want it to get lost again. 

Hope  you're having a great week. 

Making it My Own

Paper Issues has a scraplift challenge every Sunday.  I don't always complete the challenges, but I never forget to look - it is always eye candy!  This week's layout was by "Orange Gearle" and I loved it!

I loved the basic design, the bold colors, all the mixed media work and all the fun details.  But it was way outside my comfort zone.  "Messy" scares me a little and I have to be in the mood to experiment - otherwise I am just too afraid of ruining a project (totally dumb since I am playing with paper, but still scary).  And I rarely use such bold color combinations - I am generally drawn to soft colors in my own projects.

But the basic design stuck with me - and I had an idea that was definitely inspired by the design in the inspiration piece.

 
See - totally in my own way.  Everything was from my February Studio Calico box (except the shipping tags).  I layered the tags and photo, slid the heart paper underneath after inking the torn edge to add a bit more dimension and slid the woodgrain paper under the gold hearts to help make them pop.  Then I stitched through the tags using a paper piercer and gold thread.

Essentially I replaced the mixed media work with layers of paper.  But I was inspired to dig out one of my all time favorite stamps and do some repetitive stamping using pink and gray ink on the shipping tags.  I created a couple of embellishment clusters (the top one includes the title) to finish my basic design.  The last thing I added were paper strips at the top and bottom of the page to anchor the layout.

Easy -peasy.......And I captured the basic elements of the inspiration layout while adapting it to my own style.  And honestly, it would have gone together in about 30 minutes if I hadn't added the stitching.  I am just a slow sewer. 

Hope your week is going well.  Thanks for stopping by.

Off The Edge

Every once in a while, it sems like my layouts all start to look alike.  And lately, it seems like I've made lots of layouts with pretty papers layered under a photo right in the middle of the page.  I like those layouts, but I don't want all my projects to look alike. 

So, for my second layout with my January Citrus Twist kits, I really challenged myself to try to create a layout that was true to my style, but a little different too.  It turned out to be easier than I thought it would be - and I love the finished product.

I started by choosing some patterned papers that I thought worked well together - I initially pulled the heart vellum, the yellow paper from SevenPaper, the Pink polka dot paper from Maggie Holmes and the sheet of paper with different patterned pieces to cut apart from SevenPaper.  I added the floral and text papers later.

I decided to move my layers to one side as an initial break from the photo in the middle of the page.  I cut a wide piece of vellum to go from top to bottom on the page to anchor my photo block on the edge of the page.  Then I started to build the layers.  Angling the pink polka dot paper off the edge was another attempt to take my usual layers and make them just a little bit different. 

I actually added the paper and the photo on top of it and attached it to my layout before I trimmed the pink paper.  Then I turned the layout over and cut the pink paper along the edge of the cardstock base.  That's when the happy accident happened.  I didn't realize the photo also overlapped the edge of the cardstock (maybe it was the cold medicine) but that turned out to be my favorite feature of the design.  Running the photo off the side of the layout created a really different look.

I angled pink paper on the opposite side of the layout, and placed my title to finish the basic design.  I added some puffy "x's" to link the different components together, and then stitched some other "x's" to finish embellishing. 

Am I the only one who feels like they get in a scrappy rut where everything starts to look alike? What are your tricks for breaking the mold on your projects?  I'd love to hear.

I hope your Monday starts out great - thanks for stopping by.

Repeating Shapes

Paper Issues sponsored an online crop over the weekend that was filled with great challenges.  (If you want to play along, the challenges aren't due til midnight Saturday, so there is plenty of time.)  One of those challenges was to use at least 10 circle, triangle or square shapes on your layout.  Now this sounds pretty easy, but I was stumped.  (And yes, I know I do a lot of grid design, but nothing was working.)

I decided to use squares and knew I wanted to vary the size of the squares on my layout.  And I picked a picture.  But I spent more time than I want to admit staring at the piece of paper I thought I wanted to use as my base.  Finally I pulled out some scraps of white cardstock and cut them into 3, 2 and 1 inch squares.  Then I moved them around on the base paper until I was happy with the design.

Next I replaced one of the 3 inch squares with my photo.  Then I started digging through my basket of small scraps for papers that coordinated with my photo.  (The photo was of beach glass, so I was looking for a "beach-y" mix of colors.)  Each time a scrap caught my eye, I pulled it out and cut it into a square.  Then I would replace one of the white cardstock squares I had used to develop my layout.  I repeated this process til all the cardstock squares had been replaced with patterned paper.

I used some Evalicious puffy alphas - these are white with gold polka dots - to fit my title into the grid.  Next I added a few trips of washi tape and a puffy rectangle sticker to break up the squares just a bit and link to the rectangular title.  I added just a few embellishments to finish off the project, trying to coordinate with the colors in the patterned paper.  Some gold splats and I was done.

How do you use your scraps?  Link me up to your projects - I can always use some new ideas.

Thanks for stopping by.

When A Circle Becomes A Square

The sketch this month at My Creative Sketches is great.  The design has lots of layers and is really versatile. 

But that big circle behind the photo block really challenged me.  I have lots of tools to make cutting the circle easy, but I was feeling super lazy.  So I made it a big vellum square - this anchored the layout without adding a lot of weight.  I layered frames, labels and tags under the squares to add some of the visual interest the circle added to the original design.

The papers are mostly pink paislee - a mix from the Cedar Lane and Memorandum collections.  They are two of my favorite collections ever!  The colors and patterns are really versatile.  And that paper that is all the patterned stripes adds tons of dimension and interest.

If you use the sketch, link me up - I'd love to see.

Thanks for stopping by.

Two Colors

Mixing patterned papers might be one of my favorite things in the whole world.  But, for me, that usually means 4-5 colors on a layout.  So when I saw a challenge that said "use one color and an accent color" I wondered if I could do it.

I am down to the scraps from my October Citrus Twist kits.  But I had several black and white papers left - and a great teal stripe that I loved and somehow hadn't used.  So game on.......

design inspired by sketch at Stuck?! and 3 to inspire prompts at Citrus Twist Kits

The current sketch at Stuck!? provided a starting point.  They are partnering with Scrap It With A Song - this is a new challenge blog to me.  Scrap It With A Song offers songs as an inspiration point.  This month one of the songs was the Beatles' Octopus Road.  I took inspiration from the context of doing things together and used a picture of my son with his cousin. 

I  ended up really loving the final result (I treated gold as a neutral which might have been cheating....)I think what really made this work was the embellishment clusters which allowed me to add bits of teal to tie in with that striped paper.

This is the first time I played with thread this way and the gold really popped against the other colors.  And mixing the teal and gold splatters (no layout is done without splatters) tied it together.

So do you mix lots of colors or keep it simple on your projects.  I'd love to see .........

Thanks for stopping by.

A Photo On Vellum

I almost always order my prints - for the past 18 months or so it's been from Persnickety Prints.  But I've been wanting to experiment with printing photos on vellum (I think it might be a great technique to incorporate into a December Daily.)  So when we went apple picking, I decided to give it a try.  (I have a fairly basic inkjet printer.) 

I picked a photo of two apples and gave it a go.  The ink was visibly wet when it came out of the printer so I set it aside to dry for about an hour.  The end result was definitely worth waiting for - it have a beautiful soft feel that I wouldn't have achieved on cardstock.

products from October Citrus Twist kits.

I did run into a problem when I started to build my layout.  If you visit very often, you know that I like to layer lots of patterned papers.  And I found the patterns showing through my photo and changing the look of the image.  (In some instances I think this would be a great effect, but not what I was going for here.)

 I tried placing it on white card stock, but I lost a lot of the translucent feel the vellum brought to the table.  So I ended up layering a second piece of plain vellum under the photo and that worked perfectly.  And you can see where I used my tiny attacher to add the photo to my layout.  (I didn't want the adhesive to mar the image.)

I definitely will play with this technique again - it is so much fun and creates a unique look for the photo.  If you have any tricks you use to print photos on vellum, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks for stopping by.

A New Kit from Citrus Twist

I started playing with the October kits from Citrus Twist Kits this week.  And I have to say that they are probably my favorite ever from any kit club - seriously gorgeous and super versatile.  I have knocked 5 layouts out so far and still am inspired by the products I have left.

This is one of the first layouts I did.  It was for a scraplift challenge at Paper Issues.  The inspiration layout (below) was by Jen Boumis.

I was really taken by the vertical block in the center with two photos layered horizontally over it.  But I only had one photo, so I substituted lots of layers for the second picture.  I used a transparency for the vertical block to keep the layout from feeling heavy.

When I was done playing with layers I realized I couldn't find a good place to add journaling.  I used a label sticker at the bottom of the vertical block.  It served two functions - both a place for journaling and it helped to adhere the transparency.

I am off to play some more - I hope you find some time to scrap this weekend.  Thanks for stopping by

Those Thickers

One of my favorite things in the Crate Paper Wonder line was those oversized thickers. 

I love the mix of colors and patterns, and the font is just fun!  But boy have I had a hard time using them.  So when I came across a challenge to use a big title, I was determined....  and here is what I came up with.

Most of the products came from my September Citrus Twist kits.  It's lots of  products from Wonder but there is some Pink Paislee mixed in - and that great yellow paper is from Basic Grey.  And of course, I can't finish a project without ink splatters.  I started with gold, but when they didn't really pop, I added some black too. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Keeping It Soft

Last week I decided to do the sketch challenge at Citrus Twist Kits.  I loved the design and how the designer's (Chantal Phillipes)  interpretation was so soft and pretty.

I was determined to create a soft and pretty layout too.  And I finally managed (but it took me a couple of tries over the course of several days.

This was really a different approach for me.  I rarely start with a "feel" for a layout.  Instead I pull papers and pictures and see where they take me.  But I have to admit that I really like my final product.

What is your starting point?  Do you start with a "feel" for your project?

Thanks for stopping by.

3 Cards

I'm a scrapbooker, but I really love making cards.  For me they are super quick and easy - and a great way to use up scraps.  So I took a few minutes to make some mother's day cards - for my mother-in-law, for a special aunt, and of course for my mom. 

The first one uses some paper from the Studio Calico Lisse Street 4x6 pad, a scrap from my scrap basket, a piece of doily, a sticker, and a dear lizzy thicker word.  I used pop dots to add different pieces so the card has a lot of dimension.  That meant stacking popdots in some cases so that pieces were supported as I overlapped layers. And that glittery tag - it's from Ashley Calder's etsy shop.

The next one was even easier.  I used no tools - not even scissors.  I just dug for scraps that worked together and were the right size.  The flower was from an old Studio Calico cut file and was just hanging out on my desk.  I think the pink ink inkspatters pull this all together - especially the way that some landed on top of the flower.

The third card was super easy too. The three patterned papers came  right from my scraps and needed just a little bit of trimming.  That big gold rose was on a Crate Paper sticker sheet that is almost used up.  And the rosette was left over from another project.  And that label - it is from Studio Calico and was perfect for this card!

So dig into your scraps and put together some quick cards.  And link me up so I can see.  I always like some new inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by.

Trying New Things - Silkscreen

Did you have a chance to play this week in celebration of National Scrapbook Day?  I love all the challenges that get posted around the world - they tend to push me out of my comfort zone so that I try new things (or at least experiment with products and techniques I rarely use.  Silkscreens are a great example.

I have a few silkscreens - mostly from Studio Calico kits - but I rarely use them.  I love the thought of them and I love the look you get, but I'm not very confident with them.  And I rarely want to take time to let a project dry.

But this weekend, I got those babies out - twice.  I use done with acrylic paints here and it was super easy.  I figured out approximately where I was going to put my photo and then laid the silkscreen down next to it.  I put little dabs of color theory blush crush and 24K paint on the silkscreen and then smeared it around so the colors blended and I had a random mix of pink and gold.  The only problem I had was that my silkscreen was small and I had to reapply it several times to cover enough of the background for the look I wanted.

The second time I got out my silkscreens, I used them with watercolors. I used a small piece of watercolor paper and adhered my silk screen.  I then applied different yellow, orange and pink colors across the silkscreen to create a title block for a simple grid layout.

Oh - and those clouds - a stencil with gesso.  And I painted that veneer butterfly.  I was using those supplies.  Now the trick is to keep the momentum going.

So did you try anything new this weekend?  Link me up.  I'd love to see.

Thanks for stopping by.

Vellum!

I have lots of scrap related obsessions, but lately vellum has been on the top of the list.  I love that it has been included in collections in lots of colors, prints and textures lately.  And I have quite a stash.

Most often I use it for layering in a photo block.  But when I saw the current sketch on the My Scraps and More Sketch Blog, I decided to try using vellum as the inspiration for my layout.  The sketch uses lots of strips of paper and I thought it would be fun to layer strips of vellum.

The layered vellum strips created a light girly look that i really like.  I mostly used strips from my scraps. And I added in a few strips of white and gray patterned paper to make the strips feel more substantial.   More vellum and a glassine bag to create a photo block finished off the layers across the page.

I dug out some old Basic Grey chipboard alphas for the title and added some embellishments.  And I just couldn't resist that floral stamp from the Studio Calico Lisse Street kit.  I lvoe that it looks like a doodle.

Thanks for stopping by.

Rub Ons and Splatters

Rub ons seem to be one of those products that people either love or hate - no in between.  And one of the most frequent complaints is that they have a hard time using them.  I happen to love them, but I hate it when I end up with partial images. 

But recently I've been experimenting with a new technique that means it just doesn't matter.  I've been mixing rubons with ink splatters (watercolors would probably work too ) for a fun multi-media look.  I tried it once and was totally hooked  Here is my first experiment:

The gold stars and the phrase "you are my moon and my stars" are rub ons -- then  I just started layering ink splatters in different colors.  I love the layered background effect that I ended up with.  And since I don't have an artistic bone in my body, I am thrilled when I find a way to add that flair to my projects.  (The gold stars are from a Jenni Bowlin sheet of "scattered stars" from an SC add-on last summer; I haven't been able to find more so I am hoarding them).

I was so excited that the technique kept showing up for a few days.  Here is anothe project with a totally different feel.  The first project was soft and dreamy.  This time I went for bright and fun.  I used stars and phrases to create the background. And I still got to feel a little like an artist!  :)

You'll see this technique showing up on morep rojects - it is so fun and easy.  In the meantime, get out those rub ons and play.

Thanks for stopping by.

Leather Feathers and Old Photos

I am more than a little addicted to my Studio Calico kits - I get super excited for sneaks, presale and getting that box each month.  One of the biggest reasons is that those kits often push me in new directions.  For example, I am pretty sure I never would have tried doilies or sequins without those kits - and now those are crafting staples.  Same goes for shipping tags.

But this month was really out there.

When sneaks came out, the Concord add-on was super expensive.  And I already had most of the papers.  I did love the Amy Tangerine kraft thickers and I really liked the stamp set, but I still wasn't sold.  But at reveal there were two items that sold me.  The first was the wood veneer world mask.  And I will admit that I'm hoarding that, waiting for the perfect photo and layout.  The second was the leather feathers.  I was fascinated by the idea.  I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to figure out how to use them, but still couldn't resist.  That kit went right in my cart.



And when it came it was beautiful - and I loved the leather feathers -- and I had no idea what  I was going to do with them.  Until Tuesday night.

My son was driving through the night with friends to come home from college in South Carolina for Thanksgiving.  I knew I wouldn't sleep (that mom worry gene)  and was hanging out in my scrap room.  And old picture of Nicholas (he's about 1 in the photo) caught my eye and I decided to pull together a layout to help pass the time.

I started with this week's sketch at Studio Calico.  I loved all the horizontal lines (and am now thinking about trying a vertical version).


I pulled out some papers from my kit and got to work.  As the layout came together I kept thinking about those 3 leather feathers.  They seemed like the perfect finishing touches for this layout.  So before I knew it, the first one was highlighting the journaling.

The second one found its way onto the layout too - it accents the photo block.  And the third and largest feather created the final horizontal element on the layout.

But I was out of feathers and felt like I needed something at the top of the page.  I pulled a wood veneer heart that said love from my stash, colored it with navy colorshine  and added it with a paper strip.

And then the layout was finished

 - and Nicholas pulled in the driveway about 30 minutes later.

Think about scrapping some of those old photos.  Its so much fun to play with those memories.  And it helps remind us of why we love scrapbooking so much!

Thanks for stopping by!

December Daily-ish - Embellishments.

Yesterday I talked a lot about the paper choices I made for my album.  Today I'm talking about embellishments .  As I thought about embellishments, I came up with the following principles to help choose embellishments:

• I wanted a mix of holiday and non-holiday themed embellishments
• I wanted a mix of textures and colors
• I didn't want to end up with a lot of things to put away when the project was done.

Again I looked at the different kits out there to see what appealed to me.  For instance I love seeing holiday words in script form so I was excited to find some heidi swapp holiday word stickers in my stash.  And I may well buy some cut files so I can play with this look more.

I also realized that I am going to work on my album here at home most if not all the time.  And my scrap room organization is about having things where I can see them since I use what I see.  But my holiday embellishments are stored in two Iris boxes and are hard to dig through.  So I decided to focus on pulling holiday embellishments and adding reminders of non-holiday themed embellishments to my kit rather than pulling everything I might want to use.  (Remember - I don't want a lot to put away at the end of the project.)

So here is a photo that gives you a feel for the embellishment mix I've chosen.

 Here are the items I've chosen:

• die cuts - a mix of traditional, vellum, and acetate pieces so I can add a variety of textures
• rub-ons - I love using rub-ons lately, especially directly on a photo since I don't have access to photoshop.  Those gold star rub-ons were from Chic Tags last Christmas
• bags, pockets, folders and envelopes - perfect for creating inserts to hold journaling and memorabilia
• trim - I pulled a mix of ribbons and twine
• tags - love those gold glitter tags from Pebbles
• flair - a mix of traditional flair, cameos from Webster's Pages that were in my stash and those Glitz giant gems.
• washi tape - a variety of colors, widths, and textures
• wood veneer - both painted (from Basic Grey's 25th and Pine collection) and unfinished
• frames - I love frames in pockets, on inserts and on top of page protectors.  They are a great way to add dimension.  I have a mix including Crate paper, Studio Calico and My Minds Eye
• That fabric tag from an old Basic Grey collection was in my stash.  I added it specifically for the texture.
• Stickers
• Enamel dots (I found those gold and silver ones from Teresa Collins at JoAnns but have easy access to lots of colors and sizes)
• sequins - the stars from Studio Calico's Magical collection are in my kit, but again, lots of colors and sizes are in easy reach
• stickers - these are from the 25 days class kit but I have other holiday themed stickers in my kit also
• buttons - the holiday themed ones are from Fancy Pants, but my button bowl is right by my desk.

And of course, every album needs some alphas.  I pulled a few I was pretty sure I would use, but will likely go to my stash also.  And I did by the Gossamer Blue plaid alphas just for this project.  Swoon.

And while I am not much of a stamper, I am really working to use my stamps more.  So I pulled my holiday themed stamps out to store with my kit.  Some of these are from the November Studio Calico kits also.

And finally I went through my stash of project life style cards and pulled some that fit with my colors that I thought I might use.  (Since I store my cards by color this was pretty quick to do.)

So by now you should be sick of hearing about my kit.  But just in case you are still interested, I will share a bit about kit organization tomorrow.

Don't forget to leave a comment for an entry into my holiday giveaway.

Thanks for stopping by.