Old and New

I know I've said this before - I love getting kits where I get a mix of supplies that are coordinated - sometimes in ways I would never have thought of.  But as I work with a kit, sometimes it feels like all my layouts start to look alike - the same papers, embellishments, etc.  So after the first few layouts (or even before), I often start adding different papers or embellishments from my stash to a  layout.

The Studio Calico kits in March (Homespun) had a very distinctive look.  And while I liked the kits more and more  as I worked with them, I felt like I kept using the same papers or embellishments.  It felt like everything was starting to look the same.  So while I was waiting for my April kits to come ), I tried to do one more layout.  And I challenged myself to use the products differently and/or to mix in bits from my stash.

I started with a photo from when my daughter was much younger - these old photos have really inspired me lately.  I ended up with this layout.

I ended up using a lot of the kit papers that I had been drawn to on previous projects.  And my design was really simple - that meant I really needed to be thoughtful about the embellishments.  I added the rubber banner, vellum leaves, kraft sticker and hearts from my stash.  The seemed to work perfectly with the papers, were perfect for the photo, and provided most of the detail for my layout. 

And I used a couple things from the planner kit in unexpected ways.  I am totally addicted to the little washi strips that come in the planner kit and layered several of them over the title.  And I turned a checklist banner sticker on its side at the bottom of the page.  I used the small puffy dots from the puffy star stickers in the scrapbook kit to "fill" the holes on the checklist sticker and created a fun, unique embellishment.  After that a few ink splatters finished off the layout.

Now I have to admit that this layout took forever (all week) to put together because I kept trying to find the perfect bits in my stash.  And I like the things I used better than the things I pulled initially.  So while I stand by the idea of mixing in bits from my stash, I need to get way better about making a choice and moving forward. 

My April Studio Calico kits are coming today.  The top of my Ikea cart is all cleaned out and ready for them.  I super excited to have new goodies for the weekend.  It's supposed to be cold and dreary so I definitely plan to get some scrapping in over the next few days.  I hope you have a great weekend.

Thanks for stopping by.