Like For Ever - Acorn Avenue - September Kit

Hey everyone, welcome back!

Today's post is the second in a monthly series where I will be showing you the contents of my Like Forever kit.

The Like Forever kit is a monthly scrapbook subscription kit. Each month is a different theme and a different scrapbook collection. Like Forever is a UK based kit and I am so excited to be subscribed to it!

More details can be found on www.likeforever.co.uk

Septembers kit is called 'Acorn Avenue' and features Pink Paislees 'Cedar Lane' collection as well as a couple of other items.

Here's what I received in my kit:

Embellishments

Arrow Embellishments

These embellishments are amazing, I've never seen anything like them before. Anything that's sparkly automatically catches my eye and the gold glitter detail on these is super sparkly! I love the gold that is wrapped in with the twine as it adds an extra dimension of colour and detail to the embellishments. The ends of the arrows match the papers perfectly and really help to tie these arrows in with the rest of the collection. I'm not really sure how I'm going to use these but I'm sure I will find a way!

Ephemera Pack

My ephemera stash is growing rapidly, I'm either going to have to start using them or get myself a bigger bowl to keep them in! There are 76 pieces in this ephemera pack including glitter, foiled, vellum and normal cardstock pieces. I love the autumnal feel of this collection and the ephemera is a great representation of this. I'm about to start on September 2014 in my daughters Project Life album, so I can see myself getting a lot of use out of the pieces in this ephemera pack. My favourites have to be the acorns and the foxes.

Word Stickers

These word stickers are a completely new item for me, I've never purchased or used word stickers before. There are 112 stickers in this pack with all sorts of different words and phrases on. The colour is a beautiful transparent mint with gold foiled writing on them. There are so many phrases that I've spotted in this pack and thought 'ooh I can use that!'. My favourite has to be #likeaboss! My other half has just passed his driving test so this is the perfect sticker to use on a layout to document that!


Blue Glitter Thickers - Fitzgerald Font

Ooh so shiny, so glittery! These thickers are BEAUTIFUL. Never would I ever have thought to buy blue thickers for myself as it's not a colour that I generally use much. I'm definitely going to have to think of a use for these as they are too fantastic not to use! I'm thinking of maybe an April showers layout for my daughters Project Life album (If I ever manage to get to April!)


Pretty Pink Posh Sequin Mix

Sequins are something that I have never used in a layout before. I'm going to have to turn to Pinterest for some inspiration. This sequin mix was especially created for the Like For Ever Kit by the lady over at Pretty Pink Posh. The colours are amazing, blues, browns, pinks and a fab mustard yellow. They compliment the kit perfectly and I can't wait to get stuck into them.


Wooden Butterfly Buttons

Buttons are another thing that I have never used on a layout before. I'm actually quite tempted to keep these to one side and use them in my bedroom which has a bit of a butterfly theme going on in it. The back of these buttons are plain which opens them up to be used on many different layouts...I may even have a go at painting the other side myself or letting my daughter at them with some colouring pens for a completely individual look.


Papers

Town Square

The floral side of this paper definitely isn't my style, I much prefer the pale blue side. That said, I can imagine fussy cutting some of the flowers out and using them as embellishments instead.

Acorn Avenue

This paper is beautiful, I don't know which side of it to use! I'd love to fussy cut some of the acorns out but I can imagine it will be quite time consuming. I can also imagine layering this paper on a layout. I should have got two of these!

Greenspace

Hmm.. this paper I am struggling with, I'm not too keen on either side of it. I'd love the side with the words on if they were bolder.. maybe I'll have a go at cutting some of them out. Really unsure on this one.

Cedar Lane

This floral paper is gorgeous, I can't wait to make a layout with it. I'm not so keen on the B side but that's OK as I will definitely be using the floral side of it!

Main Street

I adore both sides of this paper. Grey isn't a colour that I would normally use but its one of my favourite colours, so I need to start using it more! However, the pink pattern on the other side is lovely too. This is definitely a piece of paper that will have to be cut up and used in a few different layouts.

Walnut Street

Woodgrain is not a favourite of mine, I have never used it in a layout as it's just too dark for me, so I can never imagine using it either. I love the black and white polka dot side of this paper and I enjoy using monochrome in my layouts, so it's a good thing that I received two pieces of this paper in my kit.

Arrow Avenue

Again, the B side of this paper is a woodgrain so I highly doubt I will use it. The A side of this paper is amazing and I think it will look fab with the arrow embellishments that I also received in this kit.

Circle Street

LOVE the circle pattern on this paper, its definitely getting cut up so that I can use the circles to layer up on a layout. There's absolutely no doubt which side of this paper I will use!

Park Place

Both sides of this paper are fab and I will definitely be using both sides of this, I actually think that they will layer up nicely together. I may end up fussy cutting the zigzag pattern and using it as a border on a coloured piece of cardstock that coordinates with the colours in the zigzags.

Riverside Lane

The leaf pattern on the B side of this paper is interesting and is something a lot more neutral than anything I would ever use. I may have to think something up for this paper as the pattern on it is fab for an autumn layout, I'm just about to start on October 2014 so I'm hoping I will use this then.

5th Avenue

Another paper that I am torn between sides on. The B side is a gorgeous colour, however I won't be using it as a full sheet as I'd quite like to cut out some of the strips of leaves to use as borders and layering strips.

This month there are 2 pieces of cardstock, a grey and a beige. I honestly don't know if I will use the grey as I'm not the biggest fan of dark colours and I'm actually a little intimidated by the thought of scrapping onto something so dark. I will however be using the beige cardstock as it matches some of the papers in this kit beautifully.

Overall I would say that this kit isn't really my style due to the dark colours, I much prefer bright, bold colours. That said, I'm looking forward to trying out some new layouts and techniques in order to be able to incorporate the darker colours. It will definitely add something new to my album, and who knows...maybe I will learn to love darker colours!

Well that's everything I got in this months Like For Ever kit. I really enjoyed receiving this and excitedly looking through all the contents, I can't wait for next months box!

Thanks for reading and have a great day,

Charl x

Blogging Hiatus

Hey everyone, welcome back!

So I guess I have a little explaining to do regarding my lack of blogging recently.

September has been a horrendous month! At the beginning of the month I split from my partner of 7 years and had to move myself and my daughter down to my mums house. Everything has been up in arms and there has been a lot of back and forth with solicitors and such....

Now we've reached the end of the month and everything seems to have settled into place. Myself and Scarlett are all settled in at my mums house, money is sorted and I've met an amazing guy who treats me like I should be treated!

During September I haven't even touched my Project Life album, let alone last months Like For Ever Kit. Now that everything is back to normal I am very much looking forward to getting my scrap mojo back and getting stuck into my supplies. I've got so much catching up to do with the Project Life album and have also bought a 4x4 album to throw something a little different into the mix. 

Tomorrow I am being whisked away to Hobbycraft to stock up on some essentials. I am so excited to go, I've never been before, I think I'm going to be in awe of all the amazing products!

Now that I'm back on track I plan on getting my kit share blog post up and then hopefully some layout shares and monthly favourites.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Charl x

Like For Ever - Oh So Lovely - August Kit

Hey everyone, welcome back!

Today's post is the second in a monthly series where I will be showing you the contents of my Like Forever kit.

The Like Forever kit is a monthly scrapbook subscription kit. Each month is a different theme and a different scrapbook collection. Like Forever is a UK based kit and I am so excited to be subscribed to it!

More details can be found on www.likeforever.co.uk

Augusts kit is called 'Oh So Lovely' and features Crate Papers 'Wonder' collection as well as a couple of other items.

Here's what I received in my kit:

Embellishments

Enamel Dots

There are 30 enamel dots, and 17 self adhesive gold sequins. Each colour of enamel dot comes in two different sizes and there are also 2 different sizes of the gold sequins.
I love using enamel dots on my layouts to add a bit of detail to a plain background so these are a welcome addition to my stash. The colours are beautiful; bright pink, teal, yellow, baby blue and baby pink. I don't have any other enamel dots in these colours so these will definitely get used up very quickly! I have seen so many layouts using sequins recently but I've never had any sequins to try it out for myself. I'm looking forward to 'blinging up' a layout with these gold ones.

American Crafts 'I Love You' Wash Tape

This is the first black washi tape that I have ever owned! The colouring is more of a chalkboard black than a pure black and the script on it is lovely. I've not yet used washi tape on a layout but I think I will definitely give it a go with this one as it matches a lot of the 'Wonder' collection very well.

Puffy Stickers

One word... adorable! (That pretty much sums up this whole collection) There are 29 stickers on this sheet ranging from small hearts and triangles to big cats and houses. These stickers are so pretty that I almost don't want to use them, I love the colouring of them and think that they will be perfect to use in my daughters project life album.

Ephemera Pack

One great thing about the Like For Ever kit is that you get a whole pack of ephemera, I've seen many kits where you just get a few different bits from a pack. I cannot get enough of ephemera and die cut packs, I love sifting through the bowl where I store them all to find that one piece which accentuates my layout perfectly. This pack has some great pieces in it, my favourites being the animal masks and the felt hearts.

Amy Tangerine Paper Clips

There are 12 paper clips included in this months kit, 2 each of 6 different designs. The designs are; house, rabbit, camera, heart, cross and more of a traditional paperclip shaped design. I have tons of cute paperclips but I've never thought to use them on a layout before. Nicola (the lady who runs the kit) showed part of a layout on Instagram (@likeforevershop) where she had used the paperclips as a charm on the page.. so I may have to give that a go.

Trinket Thickers

These are HUGE. I have never seen thickers so big before. The font is elegant and slim line and each letter is a different pattern. I think these will make a great addition to a layout done on white cardstock, but I'm going to have to be careful what words I use them for as there aren't many of each letter.

Gold Foil Vellum

I love this vellum, I've really enjoyed experimenting with vellum on my layouts recently so this is a welcome addition to my stash. The vellum has a nice transparency to it that will look great when layered up with papers and photos and the tiny gold triangles are so cute!

Papers

Please note that my camera is playing up so i've had to take close up photos of the B sides of the paper, designs may look bigger than they actually are.

Cute One

This paper is beautiful, I love both sides of it so I think that this one is going to get chopped up for a couple of layouts. I love the idea of using the garlands as a border for a page.

My Dear

I already know which side of this paper I will be using. I'm not too keen on the corrugated design as it's a little dark for me and I really hate scrapping with dark colours. The mosaic pattern has such vibrant colours on it and I can already think of a few ways in which I will use it.

Cheerful

I will definitely be using the houses side of this paper, those little houses are so cute! I'm thinking of fussy cutting the houses out instead of using this as one full 12x12 piece. The 'parquet' design on the other side is unusual and I do quite like it but I can't think how I would ever use it in a layout.

Wonderful

Another paper that I wish I'd ordered a copy of. I like both sides of this paper as they are both such simple designs. The 'maze' design would be perfect for scrapping a photo of us visiting Julian's Bower Maze at Alkborough. I'd love to draw a little trail through the design to represent this. 



Happy Hello

Both sides of this paper are rather busy so I think I will be cutting it up into smaller pieces. The hello speech bubbles look so perfect for fussy cutting and turning into embellishments. I may save some of the green design for a Christmas layout.

Wild Spirit

There are so many papers in this collection that have a beautiful design on both sides! I'm picturing using the flowers in a spring layout, I love the depth of colour on the flowers - they're so pretty. The mosaic pattern on the other side of the paper would look lovely layered up with the B side of the 'My Dear' paper.

Brave

I will for sure be using the cut apart side of this paper, the other side is a little too dark for me. The cut-outs are perfect for my daughters 1st year album with phrases such as 'let them be little' and 'oh, so cute'. I'm already thinking about using the be brave cut-out as a Project Life card to document my daughters inoculations.

Discover

Yet another paper where both sides are great. I think the triangle scattered side would be great for a full page layout with some of the triangle vellum layered over it, whereas the other side would look great as a page border.

Splendid

I quite like this coral ombre corrugated size, but the florals are so ditsy and cute. This again my well have to be a page that I cut apart so I can use some from each side of it.

Curious

My absolute favourite paper in this kit! I love the cat print so much, I haven't got the foggiest how I'm actually going to use is as I have a dog, but I am going to have to use it somewhere. Its far to adorable not to! (I may have to steal next doors cat to take a photo of my daughter stroking her haha)

Cardstock

This month there are 2 pieces of cardstock, a grey and a black. I honestly don't know if I will use these as I'm not the biggest fan of dark colours and I'm actually a little intimidated by the thought of scrapping onto something so dark.


A new addition to this months box is an A4 page of page maps. I am so happy to see this in here, as a bit of an amateur scrap booker this will help me so much. The amount of times I've been sat for hours trying to think of how to place items onto a layout is unreal. This will definitely inspire me to be more creative and try layouts which I maybe wouldn't have been brave enough to try before.

Well that's everything I got in this months Like For Ever kit. I really enjoyed receiving this and excitedly looking through all the contents, I can't wait for next months box!

Thanks for reading and have a great day,

Charl x

Layout Share #1

Hey everyone, welcome back!

Today's post is a quick layout share. I use 12x12 pages as title pages for the start of a new month in my daughters Project Life album. Today's layout is the July 2014 title page.

So why did I choose this photo? July is the month where Scarlett flashed us her first ever smile. I have so many variations of this photo but this one is my personal favourite. I love that she looks like she's smiling with her eyes too. Julys biggest milestone was Scarlett's first smile so I thought that this photo would be the perfect one for the July cover layout.

I wanted the photo to be the focal point of the layout and I find that the circle of triangles really draw your eye to the centre of the page. I left the rest of the page quite simple to contrast the busy middle section.

The paper is from the 2013 Crate Paper range 'The Open Road' and is called 'Road Map'. I picked this paper for its simple design, and muted colours.

The acetate triangles are from Pinkfresh Studios and are an item that I received in my June 'Like For Ever' subscription box. I've loved them ever since I first saw them but was unsure on how to use them. I saw a layout on Pinterest (which I will pin if you'd like to see it) where the creator had done a circle of circles. As soon as I saw it I just knew that the triangles would be perfect for it! I simply traced around a plate to get a circle on the paper and then glued the triangles over it.

The enamel dots and hearts are from The Range and added an extra piece of detail to the page and matched the colours of the acetate triangles quite well.

The word 'sweet' in the top corner is from PinkFresh Studios and is another item that I received in my June 'Like For Ever' subscription kit. I thought that the word was very fitting for the picture.

Finally, some simple black felt lettering from Hobbycraft to title the page. I chose black to tie in with the word at the top and also to emphasise the black detailing in the acetate triangles.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Charl x

Products Used:

Crate paper 'Open Road'
- http://www.emmaspaperie.com/product-p/papercp683490.htm

Pinkfresh Acetate Triangles
- http://www.craftie-charlie.co.uk/pinkfresh-studio-happy-things-triangle-acetate-die-cut-pieces-200515.html

Enamel Dots - http://www.craftsuperstore.co.uk/Papercrafting/Embellishments/Gemstones/Dovecraft-DCGE012.html

Pinkfresh Glitter Words
- http://www.craftie-charlie.co.uk/pinkfresh-studio-happy-things-black-glitter-foam-phrase-stickers-200515.html

Hobbycraft Felt Lettering
- http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/felt-alphabet-stickers-black/566518-1000

Like For Ever - Dream Big - July Kit

Hey everyone, welcome back!

Today's post is the first in a new monthly series where I will be showing you the contents of my Like Forever kit.

The Like Forever kit is a monthly scrapbook subscription kit. Each month is a different theme and a different scrapbook collection. Like Forever is a UK based kit and I am so excited to be subscribed to it!

More details can be found on www.likeforever.co.uk

Julys kit is called 'Dream Big' and features Pinkfresh Studios 'Happy Things collection as well as a couple of items from different collections.

Here's what I received in my kit:

Wood Veneer Stickers

These wood veneer stickers are beautiful. I love the patterns on them and that they can be used as they are or even coloured in. They are a fab size...not too big but not to small and are a lovely thick quality.

Alpha Sticker Sheets

You can never have to many alphabet stickers! The font on these is gorgeous and you get 5 sheets in the pack: green, baby blue, mustard, baby pink and a raspberry pink. Each sheet has 109 stickers on it and there are plenty of each letter. There's nothing worse than using alphabet stickers to then realise that you don't have enough of a letter.

Acetate Die Cuts

These are really interesting, I've never seen anything like them before. There are 20 different patterned acetate triangles in the pack and there are a lot of pattern variations, from words, to stripes to leaves. I'm looking forward to using these on a layout but I need to do a bit of research into what to stick them down with.

Flairs

I posted about flairs a couple of weeks ago and how I had never used them before and now I have some more to add to my collection. The patterns on these are lovely and I think the orange one will look great on an autumn layout.

Glitter Foam Stickers

These are definitely a show stopper of an item, they're huge! They're so thick and are covered in a beautiful black glitter. The glitter feels like it's stuck down really well so no chance of it falling off. I really can't think of how to use these in a layout due to their size so any suggestions would be great :)

Cardstock

Four sheets of lovely thick cardstock. I actually don't have any cardstock so this is a welcome addition to my scrap booking stash.

Crate Paper Oh Darling Vellum

This vellum is so pretty. I love using polka dots in my layouts so I will definitely make good use of this! It's great quality and not too transparent, so it will layer nicely.

Doodle Borders/Bow Ties Paper

I know which side of this I'm going to use already. Those doodle borders are awesome, I can't wait to get my felt tips out and start colouring it in!

Happy Words/Rustic Pattern Paper

The little cut out happy words cards are adorable and I will for sure be using that side of this paper. I like the pattern on the other side but I'm not so keen on the darker colours in it.

Botanicals/Sparkle Paper

The sparkle side of this paper is to die for and I'm already thinking of potential uses for it, the botanicals side is pretty but not something I can imagine myself using.

Balloon/Semi Circle Paper

The balloons side of this paper is absolutely perfect for a layout celebrating my daughters first birthday. I really love the other side too and I'm starting to wish that I ordered another sheet of this paper as an add on.

Ombre' Mosaic/Confetti Circle Paper

The mosaic side of this paper is a stunning and the colours are so bright. I really like the confetti circle design but I can see myself struggling with this a little as there's not really much space to put my own mark onto this paper.

Rustic Triangles/Triangle Pattern Paper

The rustic triangles side of this paper is not me at all, but that triangle pattern...oh my! Its so busy but so vibrant! I'm going to have to think really hard for a use for this paper.

Dream Big/Geo Shapes Paper

Another 'ready made' page with the dream big side of this paper. I think I may end up using the geo shapes side as it will look lovely with some nice big lettering running straight through that cluster of shapes in the middle.

Well that's everything I got in this months Like For Ever kit. I really enjoyed receiving this and excitedly looking through all the contents, I can't wait for next months box!

Thanks for reading and have a great day,

Charl x