Stuck!? and Felicity Jane

You know that sketches are one of my favorite ways to get started on a layout.  So when Laura asked me if I wanted to be the guest designer for the January 1st sketch at Stuck?!,  I couldn't think of a better way to start the new year.  And I adored the sketch she sent me - it might be one of my all time favorites.

I love all the layers and all the places you can add fun bits to make the sketch your own.

I was making my layout in December so I decided to do a Christmas layout.  My Secret Santa (I still don't know who it is) at Studio Calico sent me the Christmas kit from Felicity Jane - and it is gorgeous!

 I knew it would be perfect for this sketch since it had so many beautiful papers and fun bits.  And I have to say that the kit and the sketch together were so inspiring - my layout flew together!

The papers in the kit were perfect for this photo of my husband setting up the train under our Christmas tree.  And the kit was so inspiring that I even broke down and did some fussy cutting from the sticker sheet.  Only the alphas didn't come from the kit.

I'd love to see what you make with either the sketch or the kit - so link me up.  I will come leave you some love if you do!

I hope you all had wonderful holidays.  Mine were awesome with lots of family time but they were super busy.  I am looking forward to getting back to making layouts and to sharing them here in the new year.

Thanks for stopping by.

Quick and Easy

I spent last Thursday - all day - cleaning up my craft room.  My daughter (who is only 15) could be a professional organizer. She helped me empty it out, sort through baskets, purge, and put it back together.  Late that night I had a clean space and was ready to play.  But after 1 quick layout, we went out of town. 

And when we came back I had to do something about the purge piles in the living room.  So it wasn't til last night that I had a chance to play again in my clean space.  I pulled together a quick layout using the newest sketch at Stuck!

I started with my July goodies from Citrus Twist (which currently hold the place of honor in the top of my Raskog).  I added a few scraps from my stash and couldn't resist the sevenpaper puffy hearts. 

Some gold ink splatters and I was done.  I'm hoping to play some more this week, but have a feeling my scrap time is limited until the weekend. 

Hope you are finding time to play.  Thanks for stopping by.

Kit Review: Felicity Jane

Happy Monday!  It's time for the third installment in the kit review series I am doing.  This week I played with the June Felicity Jane kit titled "I Am...."

Felicity Jane is a fairly new kit club.  The kits feature exclusive papers each month.  I would describe them as modern takes on classic patterns.  The color combinations and patterns in the kit each month are swoon worthy.  But I am a bit of a paper snob - I generally only use good quality paper that has a nice weight to it.  So before I committed to a kit, I ordered the paper pack a couple of times to try it out.  And it turned out that the papers were even more beautiful in person. 

Another great feature of the kits is the packaging.  First it shows up on your step in a bold black and white striped box - somehow that makes the mail just a little bit more fun.  Your kit is wrapped in black polka dot tissue and tied with a big black ribbon. There is a pile of white shredded paper on top. It just made it feel a little bit like I was opening a present.  And (at least in June) all the tiny bits and pieces came in a round black and white striped box.  I have visions of having a row of them filled with little bits in my craft room some day.

In addition to the six unique two sided papers, the kit included 2 sheets of cardstock (one piece was kraft with large gold dots this month) and lots of bits and pieces.  Each month the kits also include  a 6x12 sheet of exclusive cut aparts that coordinate with the papers and an exclusive stamp.

I used the kit to create a title page for my daughter's 7th grade album.  I was using a school picture and I thought the kit offered lots of bits to use to dress up that boring school picture.  Here's what I came up with.

 One of my favorite things about this kit was that it inspired me to use techniques that I don't often take time for.  I pulled out my watercolors to personalize the white foam die cut leaves and word "love."  And I used my silhouette to cut that big number 7.  I love the look I got (accidentally on purpose) by using the center of the bull's eye paper.  And I took that adorable red and white clothespin apart - both so it was less bulky and so I would be able to use it again.  The only thing I used here that wasn't is the paper tape on the bottom of the layout (my desk was so messy that I thought it was part of the kit - ha!)

So I loved the Felicity Jane kit.  It was such a unique combination of colors, patterns and embellishments (gold polka dot "sequins"?!).  I already have my eye on the July kit.  But they've been selling out so I better make up my mind quickly.

So I am still working on this series - still to come are Studio Calico, Scrapbook Circle, Scraptastic and Paper Camellia.  I also have my eye on Gossamer Blue, Cocoa Daisy and Clique Kits.  Are there any others I am missing?

And if you missed them and are interested, here are links to the first two installments:

• Citrus Twist Kits
• Hip Kit Club

Thanks for stopping by!