Sparkle

I know it's December 1st and you are thinking about Christmas but just for a tiny moment I would love for you to think about 2015 and tell you that we need to start it off right with a bit of SPARKLE!!!! Come ring in the New Year with me in STYLE!!! 2015 is all about mixing metallics and what a fun trend to bring into our paper crafting! I look forward to exploring different ways of mixing metallics and bringing a little glimmer to your pages!! We will take the metallic trend and explore different ways to mix it with your current products, look at them in new ways and try new techniques. We will use these lessons in cards, scrapbook layouts, project life as well as DIY home decor etc!

I am excited to be working along side some of the BEST in the industry including  Adrienne Alvis, April Foster, Barbara Picnich, Carly Robertson, Ginny Huges, Janine Langer, Jocelyn Olson, Maggie Massey, Robyn Werlick and Tracy Armstrong!!! I know they will inspire you as they give you that "ah-ha" moment through their innovative projects! 

Sign up here to reserve your spot in class and receive a class kit! Supplies are limited on the kit so don't wait until the new year! This would make a great Christmas Gift also so send your love ones on over!

Of course we couldn't have a SPARKLE class without a fun stamp set to really set the mood!! I designed this stamp set with the "sparkle" on theme in mind! I hope you enjoy it!

You can pick up your stamp set here.

So what do you say are you ready to SPARKLE for 2015? 

go.be.inspired.

Shanna

October Afternoon | Head in the clouds

It's time for Tuesday inspiration on the October Afternoon blog, I hope you will join me! 

go.be.inspired.

Shanna

Walden Reveal and an update on the Thankful Heart Stamps!

It's an exciting time over at Studio Calico! We are getting ready for Gratitude Documented, the Walden kits are live, Christmas items are hitting the store just so much excitement! Where should we start today? Since I have gotten many messages asking that the thankful heart stamps be restocked let's start there!!

They are restocking these, please push "notify me" so you will get an email as SOON as they come in and you will be sure to snag them before they sell out again :) While you are at it here are couple other things I recommend for the class : 

These 3x4 journaling cards are the basis for my album but they would also be perfect for Project Life or traditional scrapbooking as well!

Arrow Letterpress Plate

I don't have a letterpress machine, but I have been using the letterpress plates as a stamp. I love an arrow background stamp and it's perfect for those 3x4 cards you want to add a little something to!

I had a lot of fun using the different elements in Walden in unique ways, this kit lends its self well to a little creative play! 

Walden Scrapbook Kit 

I also had a ton of fun creating the template this month! It was based on one of my favorite wood veneer pieces from Studio Calico and it is just so much fun to fill in all the pockets! 

Okay on to add-ons, I LOVE these kits for my gallery but I think I loved them even more for my gratitude album, they just had so many things that worked perfectly!!! 

Concord Add-on

Now I know you are thinking "but Shanna that is the most expensive kit in the store", yes I know! But friends, it is worth every single penny!! There isn't a single aspect of this kit that isn't crush worthy!!! That ephemera pack? SO JAMMED PACKED! The papers? Perfectly picked! That alpha stitch template alone is something you will use over and over again and turn your projects into something special! The world veneer is magical and those sentiment stickers from Amy Tangerine will help you set the ton of your page! SO much LOVELINESS!!! So yes, it may cost a little more but you are going to get miles out of this kit, I promise! 

So what do you say? Are you over the moon excited for this time of year or what?!

go.be.inspired.

Shanna

Amy Tangerine | Stitched

Today's the day! We're so pleased (and excited) to present Amy Tangerine's newest collection, Stitched! This colorful collection focuses on the beauty of lovely, handmade projects. Celebrating creativity and homespun delights, Amy's new line features a gorgeous watercolor palette of buttercup yellow, soft grays and shades of aqua. Be inspired by hand-drawn graphics that are presented alongside sweet phrases. This fun collection features 24 double-sided patterned papers, two convenient paper pads and fun Thickers in two finishes. Get extra creative with five styles of stickers, acrylic and paper shapes, layered tags, printed chipboard and two new embroidery kits. Rounding out the collection is an innovative stitch kit, acrylic stamps and rub-on transfers! Take a look at this beautiful collection—we hope you love it!

We hope you love this inspirational collection by Amy! Want a chance to win a prize pack filled with items from Stitched? Leave a comment below, then head over to Amy's blog and leave a comment letting her know your favorite item!

Underground Sneaks

It's time for October sneaks and let me tell you the October kits from Studio Calico are the perfect way to kick off fall! They have some fun fall touches while still being super versatile! I wanted to share a couple quick sneaks with you guys today!

If you aren't already signed up for the kits, now is as good of a time as any! The October kits would be the perfect time to kick off your subscription with Studio Calico. 

Have a wonderful day! 

go.be.inspired. 

Shanna

Poet Society | Whitman

My friends, how much fun was reveal yesterday at Studio Calico? The kits are packed full of amazing embellishments and the layouts in the design team's gallery SHOW it! Instead of telling you all about the kits that are already sold out, I wanted to shine the light on the perfectly curated kit Whitman today! First let's just take a look at this bad boy!

I seriously love the banners (always have and always will) the gold on these ones just takes them over the top, the puffy stickers have stolen my heart and that adorable wood veneer alpha is just perfect for any ocassion! But let's not forget the star of the show! That silkscreen!!! EEK! I love it! I have some plans for it I plan to share soon!  A couple layouts I used this kit on include SO FUN and Enjoy the Little Things: 

I just LOVE how Ania-Maria used this kit, this layout makes you stop and just take it all in!

life goes on

A couple other things I picked up to ship with my kit: 

Kraft Daily Envelopes

I picked up two of these last month and I have to say they are even more FANTASTIC in person!

Silhouette Cutting Mat

I know it is kinda of boring and easy to get distracted by all the AWESOMEness with the beautiful kits. But the way the digital shop & designers have been knocking it out of the park with their fun cuts I have been giving my silhouette machine a work out! So it was high time for a new mat! 

What did you love this month from Studio Calico? I can't wait to see what you do with it!

go.be.inspired

Shanna

Journaling Bible | Ashley Horton

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I am excited to have an amazingly talented guest with us!!! Ashely is a SUPERstar scrapbooker on such teams as American Crafts, and Echo Park. She has an adorable etsy shop where you will find some of the CUTEST cuts for your digital die cut machine. Come to find out she is not only enjoying her journaling bible, but is doing it such a CREATIVE and INSPIRING way, I just knew I had to have her with us today! Everyone say "HI Ashley!!!" .....

blog | facebook | instagram 

I love that God gives all of us our own individual testimonies.  Testimonies may have something in common, but each one is still our own personal experience.  I grew up in church...like my grandparents took me every Sunday from the time I was a baby...grew up in church.  I was saved at the age of twelve.  As I got older, I did the typical rebellious teenager stuff, but remained in church.  Even though I didn't always stay on the right path, I never strayed from attending church.  I even worked in two different church offices for over 14 years, before I became a stay at home mom!  Our current church is only the 5th church I've ever attended, in my span of 40 years.  I believe in finding a church, staying, and being involved.  I remember sharing in our Bible Study class one Sunday, as we were discussing testimonies, that mine was just a typical, boring testimony...no huge revelation, or transformation from a life of drugs or substance abuse.  Our teacher pointed out, that my testimony was just as relevant as any of the drastic testimonials of being saved, because there are other people out there like me, that need to hear the same story.  That even though we grow up in church, we are still separated from God, until we ask Jesus into our hearts.  WOW!  So, that is why I chose to journal Isaiah 6 as one of the first entries in my Journaling Bible, once it arrived.  This is such an amazing description of God's holiness and our separation through sin, until we realize that sin and turn away from it.  And one of the most powerful verses is 6:8 - "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me.'"  This is the perfect picture of sin separating us from God, repenting, and then doing God's will.  He gives us the tools to go out and share our testimony, when we are willing to say "Here I am!  Send me."

We just started a new sermon series on Building Stronger Families.  My hubby and I are working to instill the Word of God and Christian values in our children.  But honestly, we mess up so many times a day!  I'm not gonna lie..it's not like the Duggar's around here, and we only have 3 kids, not 19!!  There are days of a lot of yelling, or when I feel like putting them out by the road, with a Free Kid sign around their neck.  But, God continues to teach us and help us grow, and I am so glad that our Pastor is sharing this sermon series.  The first week, was based on Matthew 7:24-27, and having our foundation in Jesus.  I can't pray and ask God to make my husband or children perfect.  I need to pray for God to change me and show me how He wants me to be obedient.  And my foundation, can't be my husband or my children.  It has to be Jesus, because only He can fulfill my every need.

Do you have a favorite book of the Bible?  After going through a Beth Moore study of Esther several years ago, it immediately became my favorite book.  Here is poor Esther, who kind of gets thrown into a situation she didn't ask for and ends up having to make a huge decision that not only affects herself, but all of her people.  After going through Esther, I learned that we have to decide to be obedient...always.  It can't be a situation based decision, when God calls us to something.  I don't want to come to a situation, and say, "Sorry God, I weighed the pros and cons of what You asked me to do, and I'm just not feeling it today."  But I also love that Esther took time to fast and pray and had others do the same for her, before she tackled going before the King.  Just because God calls us to do something, doesn't mean we have to go in alone.  I love being able to ask for prayers and help from our church family, and know that other Christians are lifting me up in prayer, when I need i

The last scripture, I want to share from today, is found in 1 Peter 2:11.  It is easy for me to get caught up in the things of the world.  There is always so much going on around us and so much to keep us distracted and busy.  I love listening to Christian songs, that reinforce the message of God's Word.  For some reason, I stink at memorizing scripture, even though I have tried many times.  But give me a song, and I usually know it almost all the way through, by the second listen!  I've always loved Third Day and their song "Alien".  And another favorite is "Where I Belong" by Building 429.  Both of these songs talk about being aliens and strangers here on earth.  I love that these are constant reminders for me, that this home is only temporary, and we can look forward to eternity in heaven.  So sometimes, I have to take a step back from something that I consider soap opera dramatic or too huge for me to handle, and realize that in the grand scheme of things, it's only a teeny tiny fragment of my days here on earth.  Then I can focus on listening to God and how he wants me to handle those situations.  But it's also important for me to remember, that even though this isn't my "home", there is still work to do here and God has a plan for my life and is continuing to work in it daily.

   

Thank you so much for letting me share with you today!  I look forward to the days to come, and the ways God will use my love for Him and crafting to accomplish His will in my life.  Before you go, I have a set of Free Printables for you, and I hope you will enjoy using them, as you journal your way through the Bible!

download here :) 

See, I told you.. she really doesn't let you down does she!? Thank you ASHLEY!! I love how she is so honest and just lays her heart out there. We have had some amazing guests, each one so different but with that same golden heart. If you would like to share your journaling bible & process I would love to hear from you please email me at shannanoelATgmailDOTcom :) Also, we have started a little journaling bible group on facebook and would love to have you, you can be added here :) Hope to see you soon!

go.be.inspired

Shanna

Pamela Baldwin | Inspires

 | boots | be happy | gold alpha | camera | cork awesomness | typewriter |

| be silly | map | wood venner | color theory paint | tag | photo |

I am sure you already know her, but if you don't you are missing out! I love Pam's sense of style and how she tells a story. Her pages draw you in and her stories make you fall in love! When we were asked to lift a member for our gallery this month over at Studio Calico my mind went directly to PAM!!!  You will have a chance to be inspired by Pam and win a $35 gift certificate to Studio Calico also!!! But before I share all the details with you let's get to know Pam a little better, shall we?

  Hi there! I'm Pam Baldwin :)  I'm Canadian, I'm a wife and a mom, I'm a Hematology-Oncology nurse, I'm a pretty good cake decorator, I'm an overuser of smiley faces :) and exclamation points!!!, I dream of the day when sleeping in means later than 6:30 am, I am not a coffee/tea drinker but I am hooked on the caffeine content of Diet Pepsi (see pervious statement re: dreams), I'm our family memory keeper aka. scrapbooker & photographer, I am thrilled to be a member of the Studio Calico Community, and I'm so happy to be here with you today!

Tell how about how long you have been scrapbooking and what got you into it in the first place? 

     I started scrapbooking in January 2011 when my very first Becky Higgins Project Life supplies arrived on my doorstep :) (It was the Turquoise edition!) I was getting ready to return to work after a year long maternity leave, and I was SO worried that I was going to miss out on watching my son grow up.  The first 9 months had already been a bit of a blur! So after learning about Project Life, I decided our family stories HAD to be documented, and that's where I began.  

rrr

I love that! We started scrapbooking the same year!! Where do you find your inspiration from?

     My inspiration usually starts with the story I want to tell or a favourite picture :) When I need more of a push to get started, I often find myself browsing Pinterest (the poster and Illustration section and the design section almost ALWAYS have something that'll catch my eye) and the Member & Creative team galleries over at Studio Calico.  (Can't speak highly enough about the galleries there!!  I try to stop in often just to ooh and ahh over all the amazing layouts people share.  It makes me so happy and definitely inspired!).  Sometimes, a good sketch will get my brain working overtime when I'm supposed to be going to sleep at night. Most recently, I found myself photographing a McDonalds take out bag because it had a really cool "grid" design on it!

Office Hours Project Life

What are your three favorite products of all time? (scrapbooking related) 

     Wood Veneer has the top spot for sure!! Especially the dark woodgrain hearts from Studio Calico's Atlantic collection, and stars of any size :)

Foam pop dots make their way onto almost all of my layouts somehow....I think they sneak their way in there when I'm not looking.

Remember those little word strips that were included with the Antiquary Kit? I LOVE them and all other word strips like them.  I find that some of those strips say what I want to say better than I could say it myself :)

Grow Little Pumpkin

(I love how Pam used the wood venners from South of Market!) 

YES, you mentioned some of my favorite items as well! So glad you love those word strips, I think you will see more in the future! If you had to pick ONE stamp set to use over and over again which one would it be?

     Hmmm....I'm not normally a big stamper.  But I sure do give my roller date stamp a workout!

What are the colors your find the easiest to work with?

     There is a whole lotta blue, green and brown going on in my pages these days :) I've tried to use patterned papers for my backgrounds more recently, but I think my preference is still white cardstock.   More than colour, I really like the look of different textures!! I think I would happily add woodgrain, cork, manila shipping tags and a little splash of gold to anything and everything.

Thank you so much for sharing with us Pam! I loved getting to know you a little better and seeing what makes you tick!!! One thing I really take from your pages is your ability to REALLY focus on the photos and the story. One of the ways I see that most in your projects is with a SUPER big photo and lots of journaling so that is what inspired my layout this month! 

I used the adorable Sandlot kits from Studio Calico to create this 2 page 8.5x11 spread inspired by Pam. I love the red alphas and really allowed the story and photo to be the main feature here. Taking some notes from Pam, and loving it!!! Photo was taken by the amazingly talented lemaire photo! 

Now here is YOUR chance to be inspired by PAM!!... Here are the details I promised you! 

You may enter a comment to win the gift certificate in each of the following ways!

1. Post a link to your layout, card or project life using the mood board as inspiration

2. Post a link to your social media site where you shared the mood board with info :) 

3. Post a link to your instagram with the mood board tagging myself and Pam.

4. Post a link to where you pinned the mood board from this post. 

5. Post a link to any other CREATIVE way you thought to share!! 

All links must be posted by noon PST July 31st to be counted for

 the drawing to win the $35 Studio Calico gift certificate! 

I can't wait to see what you come up with

go.be.inspired.

xox

Shanna

Favorite Fonts for the Hybrid Scrapbooker

One of the fastest and easiest way to change the look of a page is by simply changing the font on your project. The problem is do you ever find yourself going back to the same 3 fonts over and over again? Yes, me too! So I thought I would share some of my faves with your and challenge you to try something new!

Brushed Up Too | The Distressed Dutchess | Amatic | Kailey the Brave | 

Pea Anne | The Twig | Bebas Neue | Arsenale White | Avenir Next

*some of these font may already be downloaded to your computer, make sure to check it out before your buy or download fonts. 

For a more in-depth look at how to use fonts in your scrapbook layouts check out  Digtal | Beyond the Basics at Studio Calico where myself along with some of the industry's best will lead you in FUN, exciting ways to use fonts as a design element! 

WHAT YOU'LL GET :

• 10 how to videos from Shanna covering techniques for templates, stamp brushes, digital paper, printables and digital die cut files
• 10 tutorials from the contributors covering techniques for templates, stamp brushes, digital paper, printables and digital die cut files
• 20 new digital / hybrid projects to inspire you
• a class message board to interact with Shanna and your fellow students
• new challenges each week

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BONUS DIGITAL FILES:

• Digital patterned paper (Shanna Noel for Studio Calico)
• Digital Templates (Shanna Noel for Studio Calico)
• Digital Alphabet Stamp Set (Shanna Noel for Studio Calico)
• Digital Stamps (Shanna Noel for Studio Calico)
• Digital Embellishments (Shanna Noel for Studio Calico)
• Digital Die Cut Files (Shanna Noel for Studio Calico)
• Digital Washi Photo Frames (Shanna Noel for Studio Calico)

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WHAT YOU'LL NEED :

• Photoshop or PSE
• Basic Digi Scrapping Skills (check out our FREE Digital Basics class if you need to brush up!)

Hope to see you there!!

go.be.inspired! 

Shanna

Guest Designer for American Crafts

Amazingly excited to be a guest designers for American Crafts! Please head on over to their blog to see all their fun products and how I used them! I had a blast playing!!

Finding the inspiration & the story with Amy Tangerine

To see how this layout came together check out Amy's blog! 

A confession I can only make to you....

.. I think you will understand....

I was amazingly blessed to be able to leave my life behind and run away with my husband for 11 days to ALASKA!!!! (P.S. AMAZINGNESS.. more to come on that!!) but I did have that itsy bitsy tiny thought oh *ohmygrapesiwillmissreveal* especially when I saw the card add-on stamp!! I had thoughts of asking a friend to pick up a couple things for me but I thought... no.. I don't NEED everything every month! :) I can TOTALLY do without it..... friends... what do you think is the VERY first thing I did after I tucked my kids in bed for the night the night we got home from Alaska? Studio Calico. That is right. Check out all the awesomness I missed (I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to torture myself like that) and I was SURPRISED to find out some amazing treasures were still up for grabs! I wanted to share with you what I picked up because I am in SHOCK it is still available!!

Pinball

This was the kit I was thinking I would have to create an e-bay account to bid it out for! LOL :) But seriously... that STAMP SET!!!! I want to create MILLIONS of cards with it! The layering possibilities  I can NOT wait to use it! 

Churros

These little cards in the Project Life kit this month stole my heart and even though I wanted to just carry around in my pocket for whenever I needed to smile... I used them in my PL so HOW excited am I to see a stamp and DIE set?! Just adorable!

You're Pretty Amazing Craft Die

I love LARGE sentiments that make a statement on a page or a card so I put this baby DIRECTLY in my cart right when I saw it! I could see it being a title on a fun page about my husband or simply the front of a card.. so many possibilities!

Craft Die & Stamp Set | TABS

Yes. I love tabs. I want to put tabs on anything and when I see anything tab related in a store I don't even think about it! So imagine my delight when I saw this adorable stamp and DIE set from Marcy?! SCORE!!! 

So that is what I scooped up and is STILL available!! What did you get this month? What was your favorite goodie? 

go.be.awesome

Shanna