Kill My Studio Calico Kit: February - Savannah

Hello and welcome back for another month of Kill My Studio Calico Kit! This is the 8th installment of this series, and in total I have made a whopping (103) layouts. Yay me!
This month I got the Studio Calico scrapbook main kit, Savannah ($34.99 -but I bought it on sale for $17, stamp excluded).

Notes:  at first glance I didn't love the kit papers as much as other ones, because of the softer colors; my favorite is the floral black and white paper that is on the back of the red gingham one. I love the puffy alpha stickers, the enamel dots, and the stickers.

Kill my Studio Calico kit is a monthly series I started on my blog to hold myself accountable and use up my kits. You can subscribe to the Studio Calico Scrapbook kit here.

Status: killed!
I made 9 layouts (3 12"x12", 2 8.5"x11") and a mini book, for a total of $17, or $1.7/page (counting the album as a single page). I supplemented the kit with some embellishments from the Project Life and Planner kits, plus some items from my stash (stamps, washi tape, white cardstock, and the odd embellishment). Here's a roundup of all the pages I made:

And here is what I have left:

Leftovers: I am hoarding the last piece of the floral paper that I love. :) I didn't use the pink cardstock - I have a hard time with that color for a background.

And here is what I made with the kit. This month, I used a bit more stuff from my stash than I normally do. Here's a roundup of all the projects I made:

And here they are, one by one.

On this page, in addition to the kit I used some of the new washi tape I just bought (see more below :)), and some puffy stickers from Crate Paper.

The sewing of the paper ended up being a bit wonky, but I went with it.

This page is to document my latest obsession: washi tapes! These are all tapes I purchased recently from Amazon, and I laid them out to see what they looked like (you can see them here). Since they looked so pretty all together, I decided to make a page about this obsession of mine. :) Here are the links to the washi tapes I bought in case you are interested. :) I also used some more of the puffy stickers by Crate Paper, along with some past stamps from the Project Life kits.

This one is probably my favorite photo ever of my mom and me, and I paired it with my favorite paper from this kit. I also used some embellishments from the Savannah Documenter kit here.

The sticker sheet included in the kit goes a long way! I used it to build a frame for my photo on this page.

I also made a mini book in traveler's notebook format using the papers from this kit.
See more pages from this album, including a video walk through, here.

The houses are an old stamp (from the Daily Grind add on) - they were just perfect for these photos.

The washi tape is from the Savannah planner kit (love!), the stamps are from the Annette add on, and the embellishments are from the Finch add on.

This is my favorite page made with the Savannah kit. I chose a few snapshots representing a few things we did this month, turned them black&white, and paired them with my favorite paper of this kit. The "making" title came about because I was trying to spell out words with the leftover alpha letters, and this worked. :) The heart stickers are from the Savannah Project Life kit, while the cork embellishments are from my stash.

And that's it for this month. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and let me know!

You can subscribe to the Studio Calico Scrapbook kit here.

Memory Pockets Monthly: Discover

I love the latest Memory Pockets Monthly from The Lilypad, and used it to scrap a monthly recap of what happened in June. We were on the road a lot, so it's mostly a vacation recap in fact!

Credits:

Memory Pockets Monthly: DISCOVER from The Lilypad

June Insta Review Templates by Scrapping by Liz

Have a lovely weekend!

Planner Bootcamp

Have you seen the newest class from Studio Calico? It's a Planner Bootcamp taught by Marcy Penner!
And.... all Hello Forever planners are heavily discounted this week for Studio Calico's 9th birthday celebrations!

Planner Bootcamp is bursting with inspiration from Marcy and other contributors, who can’t wait to share how they use their calendars to keep themselves on track. You’ll learn things like:

• Tips for time management
• Ideas for dealing with unfinished tasks
• Tricks for using stamp brushes to make your own stickers
• How to map out things like chores and meal planning
• Ideas for using the class stamp set in your planner
• … And more!

Plus, you’ll have full access to videos, digital files, challenges, and more. Check out the class in the shop to find out everything you need to know!

Students will also receive an exclusive 4” x 6” stamp set* from Hello Forever that will ship for FREE, no matter where you are. You won’t want to miss out! Enroll in Planner Bootcamp today, and let Marcy help you get your planner in shape.

See you in class!

Traveler's Notebook Documentation - How to Get Started

It's been a while since I posted about the new form of documentation I have become obsessed with over the past four months. :) Seriously, I am so in love with traveler's notebooks!
When I was starting out, I searched the internet for suggestions and tips on what supplies to get to get started, but didn't really find all the information in one place. So now that I've been at this form of documentation for over four month, I thought I'd post a recap of my tried and true supplies, so if you're also looking to get started you'll see what worked for me.

I use a weekly format for daily documentation, and a monthly format to have all events at a glance (trips, dinners out, doctor's appointments, birthdays, etc.).

My Favorite Supplies
Notebook Inserts and Cover
I use weekly and monthly inserts by Midori, and a Webster's Pages notebook cover.

You can fit four notebook inserts in the Webster's Pages notebook cover. The inserts come either dated or undated. I started in March with the undated weekly memo format, which I used happily for 15 weeks. I called this "horizontal" because the days are in horizontal blocks.

Then, I recently switched to the dated diary weekly insert, which is vertical. (I couldn't find the 2016 version online at my usual shopping places, so I am linking you up to the undated version instead).

I am only 3 weeks into using the vertical format so I cannot pick a favorite between the horizontal and vertical formats yet... I love the horizontal very much, but I am warming up to the vertical format. Stay posted for a comparison once I've used the vertical insert more. :)
One thing I did enjoy and I miss in the dated version is stamping the days in the undated insert.

Pens
I mostly use Hi-Tec C pens for journaling (I love the fine tip!), but Le Pen pens also work great, even though they are a bit thicker.

Stamps
Gotta have stamps!! I mostly use stamps by Studio Calico and Sakuralala - I love that they are made especially for planners/traveler's notebooks so will fit perfectly the small daily boxes. I love using stamps to tell my story!

Ink
I use pigment ink exclusively (I love dye ink in general but it will bleed to the back page). I use either VersaCraft or Color Theory inks. I love that both kinds come in bright colors.

Washi Tape
I love using washi tape as a starting point to pick the color scheme for the spread! In a few short months, I have amassed quite the collection, and I am showing no signs of stopping! :)
My favorite places to shop are Amazon (check out my latest buy) and Sakuralala, but I also occasionally shop on Etsy.

Embellishments
I occasionally add stickers to my spreads, almost exclusively from the Studio Calico planner kits. OK, and now here are two examples of my documentation in traveler's notebooks.

Weekly Documentation

The journaling here was done with a gray Le Pen.
In this weekly memo format I typically journal my daily documentation on the left, and use the right side to add photos and/or general observations about the week. In this particular week we were traveling so I added a lot more photos than I normally do (1-2).
The washi tape and the chipboard embellishment are from the Finch add on. I also used several phrases from the Summer Vacation stamp set, as well as the  Urban Summer stamp. The "hot" and "humid" weather stamps are from the Patch planner add on kit.

Month at-a-glance

I used a  Hi-Tec C pen for the journaling. The "love this life" stamp is from the  from the Finch add on kit, and the "slow down" is from the Annette add on kit. Other stamps used: Urban Summer; Let's Chill; Summer Vacation.

I hope you've enjoyed this post! Are you a traveler's notebook fan or a newbie? Either way, I'd love to hear from you!

Traveler's Notebook Mini Album

Hello there! I have a fun new mini album to share today - made in a traveler's notebook! It's no secret that traveler's notebooks are my latest obsession, so when one of the class in the Mini Book Library at Studio Calico was about TNs, I jumped right in! (Enrollment for the bundle is closed right now but will open up for the August class, in a few weeks.

{cover stamps: Annette add on, Mega date stamp, Let's Chill stamp; charm from Scout Planner kit}

This ended up being a pretty big notebook, so I only took a few pictures of my favorite pages, and you can check out this video to see a complete walkthrough of the album.
I used stamps and washi from Sakuralala, several supplies from Studio Calico, and alpha stamps by Elle's Studio and Kelly Purkey. I linked most supplies below, at the bottom of this post.

{{{note... this is my very first video, so please be kind! :)}}}

Here are some of my favorite spreads.

(alpha stamp by Kelly Purkey). papers from the Savannah Scrapbook kit

(alpha stamp by Elle's Studio Other stamps from Stephanie's mini book kit)

(embellishments from Annette add on, Pool Party Planner kit, Pool Party Documenter kit)

(washi tape from Scout documenter kit; alpha Fukuro stamp; stamps from Annette add on and Let's Chill)

(Aki stamp set)

(Stamps: Urban Summer stamp and Daily Grind)

(Tag from Stephanie's mini book kit)

(gold circle from Scout documenter kit)

I had so much fun putting this album together! And I have everything documented just a few weeks after my trips!

Supplies from Studio Calico:
Pool Party Documenter kit
Pool Party Planner kit
Savannah Scrapbook kit
Scout Planner kit
Scout Documenter kit
Stephanie's mini book kit
Annette add on
Mega date stamp (currently in preorder)
Let's Chill stamp
Urban Summer stamp
Stamp from Daily Grind (April 2013 add on, sold out)
Webster's Pages traveler's notebook cover
Washi tape from Finch add on
Neon Zing embossing powder
Tim Holtz distress inks

Supplies from Sakuralala:
Aki stamp set (365 collection)
Fukuro stamp set (365 collection)
Shoukei 019 new leaf washi

Note: I am on Studio Calico and Sakuralala's creative teams but I purchased all the items linked here myself. If you use the affiliate links in this post, I'll happily get a small commission, buy more supplies and share more projects on my blog. :)

Mixed Media Monthly - July from The Lilypad

Not gonna lie... it's been a rocky week this week for me - with the attacks in Nice, France, and some drama concerning one of my husband's volunteer jobs... So I dealt it the best way I know of... with some scrap therapy. The latest Mixed Media Monthly collection in the store today at The Lilypad was perfect for this, and to document my goals for this year, which include getting into the groove with yoga.

Credits:

Mixed Media Monthly - July '16 from The Lilypad

Beautiful Soul - M3 July 16 Add-On by Nancie Rowe Janiitz

Have a good weekend!

Summer School at The Lilypad

If you haven't checked it out yet, The Lilypad is hosting Six Weeks of Summer School - free inspiration, tutorials, freebies, and challenges for a chance to win some prizes! I wrote a tutorial on using journal cards and I'd love for you to check it out!

I also have a few pages to share made with products that are 50% off today at The Lilypad.

Credits:

Hustle: Patterns & Backgrounds, Hustle: Embellishments and Hustle: Glitterbets by Allison Pennington

I also made two pages from our recent trips.

Credits:

The Deep Collection by Dawn Inskip

That dolphin illustration was just perfect to tell this story!

Credits:

Recycle kit, Recycle Canvas and Recycle Overlays by Dawn Inskip

Lovely Day Painted Letters by Allison Pennington

Have a great rest of the week!

Washi Tape Obsession

Washi tape is one of my latest obsessions. I got many of my favorites from Sakuralala (who by the way is having a 25% off sale through Monday!!), but recently I placed an order from Amazon and I am so giddy with what I got that I just had to share!

Some of these rolls came in a set of 3, but I linked them all here:

The main reason I placed this order was for the MT book washi and the MT skinny tapes, but while I was at it I decided to try these other tapes by Shinzi Katoh that are new to me.
I love using these tapes in my traveler's notebooks, but I also use them on my scrapbook pages (I will be sharing some examples soon). I just had to have the one that looks like Little Red Riding Hood since it was my favorite fairytale as a child! :)

Studio Calico July Kits: Pool Party

Hello hello! As is now a recurring monthly tradition, I made a page using some of the new digital products that are in the store at Studio Calico. The July kits (Pool Party) go for sale at 3 PM EST today, but here you can see a peek at a few things.

For this 8.5"x11" hybrid page, I used a digital background paper from the Pool Party papers, and overlaid a digital stamp. The embellishments are all from my stash, and I also used an old Studio Calico stamp to add a pineapple.

I added some splatters of gold mist too.

Happy July!