On Trend - Sunbursts

Hi there, happy Monday to you all! I love looking through internet galleries filled with inspiring ideas and trends. I've noticed a lot of beautiful pages using sunbursts or rays. I'm sure there is a proper name for the design, but that was the best I could come up with on the spot. Today I used some of the beautiful patterned papers from the newest Glitz Design collections to create a soft sunburst effect.

I'm sure there are a variety of ways to create "rays", the technique I use involves my trusty magnetic mat, ruler and a craft knife. After cutting each ray, I placed it on the background cardstock, rearranging pieces until I was satisfied with the layout. 

After all of the sunburst rays found their final resting places, I added the remaining layers covering the overlapping corners. To create more precise rays, mark a center point in pencil on the back of your paper, then draw lines with each running through the center point.

"Then & Now" layout supplies:

Glitz Design "Felicity" paper: Chevron

Glitz Design "Brightside" papers: Chunky Chevron, Bits & Pieces

Glitz Design "Felicity" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Design "Brightside" Alphas & Accents sticker sheet

Glitz Design "Black & White" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet

Glitz Design "Black & White" puffy words sticker sheet

Glitz Design washi tape - silver glitter

other: cardstock  vellum, wood veneer people, sequins, chipboard ampersand  

Oh Happy Day

This week's Color Challenge incorporates a soft and feminine color pallet that fits right into my  girlie style. First, I used a makeup sponge to dab gold ink over a 12x12 stencil allowing the ink to fade out on the edges. Next I layered lots of light pink and light blue "Carpe Diem" goodies with vellum and strips of sheer ribbon. I secured all of the layers to the card stock by machine stitching a large gold heart over the layers. With a little smattering of finishing touches, the layout is complete. 

"Oh Happy Day" layout supplies:

Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" paper: Diamonds

Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" 6x6 paper pad

Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" Alphabets & Words sticker sheet

Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" Whatnots

Glitz Design "Carpe Diem" washi tape - Mint Chain

Glitz Design "77" Giant Rhinestones

other: gold ink, stencil, ribbon, heart punch, vellum

A Year Ago

This week was another tough one for me, sorting out and reflecting on all that happened last year. Losing both of my parents quite suddenly just three weeks apart, from two different fatal diseases. This week marked the one year anniversary of losing my mom to glioblastoma multiform. She was 59 years old, just 8 days away from her 60th birthday. My mom had an explosive and contagious laugh. She was always knitting hats and making blankets for the babies in the intensive care unit. She was frank, spunky and a little unpredictable. We were blessed to take care of her everyday from the time of her brain surgery to the day she died. We laughed a lot, cried some, and made the most of every moment we had left. I love you mom. 

Mom is the pouty one in front.

On her wedding day




with the four of us kids

Mom with one of her doggies

mom & I


Almost all of the family (minus one brother)

Always the jokesters 

Mom & Dad celebrating dad's 60th birthday, just 10 days before she found out she had a brain tumor.

The tumor, that she nicknamed "Fred"

Mom & Dad with all of the grandkids

"Team Jackie" shirts
"My biggest problem is that the left part of my brain 
has nothing right in in, 
and the right part of my brain 
has nothing left in it."

If you have to cut your hair off, you might as well make it fun.

Emma lending Grum her hair 

Mom visiting Dad in the hospital

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord;
and let your perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of the faithful departed,
through the Mercy of God,
Rest in Peace.
Amen

Falling for Family

The fall is nearly upon us again, and to highlight the season our Glitz challenge of the week focuses on autumn photos. On a family drive in the mountains last year, we were overwhelmed by the beauty of the fall colors. With my camera balanced on our trunk and set to timer, we snapped a few family shots against the golden background. (The photo of the layout didn't do justice to the actual background of leaves, so I added the original photo as well.) 

All through the month of September I've been trying new things. This week I cut some large chevrons from a full sheet of patterned paper, then layered snippets here and there. The style is a little different than usual, but made for a fun experiment. 

I decided to do a little quick tip video with this layout. Forgive the video quality, it's a little hard to watch since I was holding my phone in one hand while moving the other. Any video tips would be appreciated. I'll try to do better next time!

"Fairytale Family" Supplies:

Glitz Design "Finley" papers: Stipe, Neon

Glitz Design "Wild & Free" paper: Small Hearts

Glitz Design "Finley: 6x6 Paper Pad

Glitz Design "Wild & Free" 6x6 Paper Pad

Glitz Design "Finley" Words & Alphabets Sticker Sheet

Glitz Design "Finley" Titles & Accents Sticker Sheet

Glitz Design "Wild & Free" Rubber Stamps

Glitz Design "Wild & Free" Tiny Hearts Washi Tape

other: heart punch, ink, tulle, die cut clouds, wood heart, chipboard alphabet

A Touch of Sparkle

Welcome to week three with the new Glitz Designs team, and our new weekly challenges. This week we played with the hot trend of using sequins on scrapbook projects. I'm a little behind the trend curve and only have one small jar of sequins on hand, but with the variety of colors and sizes available, sequins are a fun (and inexpensive) way to add a little more sparkle to your projects. Here I layered them both above and below the Glitz Peek a Boos, as well as scattered across the page to draw the eyes.

Glitz Designs "Vintage Blue" paper: Motif

Glitz Designs "Uncharted Waters" paper: Damask

Glitz Designs "Sunshine in My Soul" 6x6 paper pack

Glitz Designs "Uncharted Waters" 6x6 paper pack

Glitz Designs "Uncharted Waters" Paper Layers

Glitz Designs "Uncharted Waters" Rubber Stamps

Glitz Designs "Uncharted Waters" Peek a Boos

Glitz Designs "Beautiful Dreamer" Peek a Boos

Glitz Designs "Yours Truly" washi tape - stripe

Glitz Designs "Yours Truly" Crepe Trim

other: ink, sewing machine, sequins, veneers