Stephanie Howell

Blog Tour

I was tagged by the sweet (and crazy talented) Brenda Weaver to do a fun blog tour! If you need card inspiration head to her blog immediately. She never ceases to amaze me.

 

1. What are you working on right now? I think the question should be what am I NOT working on? I feel like I'm juggling a million ideas and projects right now. Layouts, Barcelona Mini Album, a Paris mini album, a Disney album from 2009 that has never materialized, wanting to hop back on the PL train, Artifact Uprising books from every trip we've taken. And on, and on and on and on.

 

2. How long does it take you to create a project? Um do you really want to know? Months???

I used to be the queen of quick. 15 minutes...wham, bam, thank you ma'am. Not so much these days. Projects sit on my desk for weeks, days, months. 

Everyone says it gets crazier as your kids get older. And of course I thought that was b.s. And of course it's true. I wouldn't trade it for anything but I'm looking forward to getting some creative time in when all four are in school (next week!!!)  

 

3. What are your favorite things to create with at the moment?  I'm totally basic and probably horribly out of style/not even remotely trendy. And I don't care! I still love doilies and butterfies. Label stickers, floral chipboard accents, Thickers, and a few enamel dots here and there. I don't even own a die cutting machine!     

 

4. How does your writing/creating process work? 1. Get inspired (usually by something beatiful and Italian OR by something funny my girls say or do). 2. Run to craft room, forget what I was doing, leave craft room. 3. Remember what I wanted to do, go back to craft room. 4. Gather supplies. 5. Phone rings, leave room and forget all about what I was doing. 6. Repeat Step 3. 7. Print photos, hear girls screaming, leave craft room and forget what I was doing. 8. Repeat Step 3 9.Glue some stuff down and leave layout on desk for 3 months.

5. How do you become inspired and stay inspired? Italy inspires me beyond compare. The sights, scents, sounds...you name it. It's 24/7 inspiration. Lately the design team at Gossamer Blue are really inspiring too. It's the most amazing team.
       

6. What your signature style? classic, simple, girlie, romantic.

 

That was fun! Thanks for the creative nudge, Brenda! Now I'm tagging three of my favorite scrapbookers. You're next ladies!

 

1. Jenni Bowlin - I think anyone who's read my blog for any amount of time knows how I feel about Jenni. She's the real deal. Just as kind as she is talented...and not an ugly or mean bone in her body. She's one of the big reasons I fell in love with this hobby.

 

 

2.Jamie Waters-I have loved Jamie's layouts for years. 8 years to be exact. I had almost all of her layouts saved at Two Peas (RIP). The way she used bits and pieces + her handwriting...perfection. I am SO happy that she's back to scrapbooking these days.

 

 

3.Liz Kartchner- Everything she makes is just happy, vibrant, and downright beautiful. Her creative drive always amazes me (she's a fellow mama to four!) and she's sweet as pie.

 

That's it for today, have a beautiful Monday!

xo

S

Love | Scrapbook Layout

I think it's safe to say that I've got my creative mojo back. For the first time in a really long time I'm wanting to make stuff.

Every day I feel the desire to at least step in my craft room and do something...even if it's just sorting and organizing.

It's a great feeling!

Here's a new page I recently made:

Supplies: Gossamer Blue September kits, My Mind's Eye Market Street stickers, My Mind's Eye enamel dots, doily from stash

These kits were so "me" that I just couldn't stop making stuff. The colors are pure happiness.

Journaling reads: At 3 1/2 you scatter sunshine everywhere you go. And gelato. You scatter that, too.

It feels so good to be making and creating again. Here's to getting my creative groove back. WOOHOO!

xoxo

S

One Year | a Scrapbook Layout

I finally made some time to get crafty this week. I couldn't help it.

I couldn't ignore the Gossamer Blue September kits anymore and I HAD to make something. I honestly can't believe we've been expats for an entire year.

I knew I needed to make a page to document the occasion. I'm in love with the colors and textures in these kits.

The photo is one i snapped when in Verona recently. I couldn't resist the candy colored buildings!

Hope y'all are having a beautiful Tuesday. Am I allowed to admit how HAPPY it made me to share this page today?

xoxo

 

xo

S

Inspiration to Paper // Love Scrapbook Layout

When we were in Spain I found myself constantly photographing street art. Murals, door art, graffiti. My camera was FULL when we came home.

One of my favorite images was this door. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to emulate it on a scrapbook page.

Today I finally had a chance to play around with the GORGEOUS Gossamer Blue August Kits and Add-Ons.

I found these BasicGrey wood shapes in the August Main Add-On Kit and knew the triangle was perfect to use as a template.

I chose seven double sided papers and got to work tracing triangles.

When I cut them out and assembled them (using the photo above for guidance) here's what I came up with.

A sprinking of embellishments here and there, a doily, and a cluster or two...and voila!

I'm so happy that I finally got that idea out of my head and onto paper. And that officially wins the weirdest way I've ever been inspired to create a scrapbook page. A door in Spain.

How about you? What's the most random inspiration you've ever found?

Ciao y'all!

xo

Happy Place | Scrapbook Layout

Today I want to share a scrapbook layout. Are you guys still creating? I can't tell if scrapbooking related content is popular or not.

I will keep sharing these pages either way, but I'm just not sure what I should be sharing here. Sometimes this feels like a mom blog, sometimes it feels like a travel or lifestyle blog.

Crafting related posts seem to be the least popular, but I do like having a little bit of everything here!

Anyway...this was definitely a "just for fun" page. One photo, limited journaling (I just shared the date and a bit about why I love my Italian flower shop- and I wrote it on the back).

This page was just for creativity's sake. I wanted to make something pretty, plain and simple!

I layered vellum, patterned paper, doilies, stickers,and chipboard. I even pulled out the old border punch. Yep, I'm old school. NO silhouette for me.

The gold doily was just too much...so I folded it and used both sides. I liked it a bit more as a white doily with touches of gold!

The Happy Place Chipboard is pretty old. It's a Dear Lizzy piece I've been hoarding for quite some time.

The gold chipboard accents (and the die cut floral piece) are both Market Street by MME.

Let's chat a bit about scrapbooking in the comments. Do you still scrap? Do you still enjoy craft related posts?

Talk to me!

xoxo

S

Pink Pink PINK! | a Scrapbook Layout

Happy Monday y'all! I'm a happy happy girl because I get to see a certain someone this week. And that certain someone makes me happier than anyone else in the world! :)

Only fits that I'd share a happy layout today.

A while back Shimelle asked me to do a pink layout (about myself!) for her website. Pink? No problem. About myself? Uhhhhh.

It turned out being really fun and I loved this page. So glad to finally share it!

 

Journaling | I hear a lot of negativity when it comes to getting older. But I love it. First of all...I'm glad to be here. For the gift of another year. I'm content- I love being in my 30's. All of the doubt is gone. It's a beautiful things.

I kind of clustered the heck out of this layout. And I love it. I pretty much went through my stash and grabbed every pink thing I could find. And recently my stash is pretty much all Gossamer Blue kits and MME. I went with Gossamer Blue February kits. Though the layout is not Valentine's themed, it is about loving myself and my life. So it works!

Supplies | Gossamer Blue February Main Kit , February Life Pages Kit, February Add- On 2 , February Add On Kit #2,  February Life Pages Main Add On, February Life Pages Themed Add On

note: all of those kits are long sold out. however, you can find individual product lists there. :)

I hope you have a beautiful, blessed, and HAPPY Monday!

xoxo

S

 

 

Scrapbook Layout | Joy at 3.5

I am so in love with these two. I've decided that God makes kids the cutest they will ever be at age 3-4. Also the most stubborn. They make me laugh all day long. And they have given me a few headaches too. At least I'm laughing while my head hurts HA!

I made this layout using my current (and forever) obsession, Market Street by MME.

This was the first page I've made in quite some time. And I'm embarrased to say how long it took me to get around to finishing it. Let's just say that I printed the photos...um...3 weeks ago? EEK!

Hope you all have a beautiful and blessed Monday. I'll be back tonight with the Stuck on You giveaway winners.

 

xo

Paris Favorite | A Scrapbook Layout

I got a box of Market Street and Necessities in the mail yesterday and I HAD to make something today. Never mind that the dishes are piled up and the dirty clothes are overflowing out of the unpacked suitcases.

I ignored the mess and made a quick page. I know I recently said that Market Street was my favorite MME collection of all time. And having it in my hands has only confirmed this suspicion.

It's magnificent and Jen hit it out of the park.

I had plans to use the J'adore card and Eiffel Tower card from the die cut packs...but I ended up keeping it simple and just using the florals and the flair. And I love the way it turned out.

Happy Tuesday y'all!

I hope to have a Positano post to share soon!

xo

Rare and Beautiful | A Scrapbook Layout

I just wanted to quickly share a page that I made that I kind of love.

It has a lot of what are considered "feminine" accents...but this is a page about J and what kind of a dad he is.

All items from Gossamer Blue March kits and add-ons.

This page is about how tender and beautiful J's love is for his girls. So because of that...I thought soft colors, butterflies, hearts, and flowers worked well. Some of you might disagree but I think it just fits.

This makes my heart hurt I love him so much. I do. I know it might be uncool or "cheesy" or whatever to go on and on about how much you adore someone...but I do. I love him so much and I'm so grateful that he's mine. And by the way- our 11 year anniversary is Saturday. I can't even believe it!

I hope you all have a beautiful Wednesday.

xoxo

S

 

Elle's Studio Guest Designer

I'm super honored to be the Elle's Studio guest designer this month. I adore sweet Elle and Jenni and I couldn't have had more fun playing with their products.

To see my projects in their entirety (and for a chance to win my favorite products!) head over to the blog.

Buon Fine Settimana!

xxo

S