Carina Gardner Garden Rose Spring Digital Scrapbook Layout

Hello there!  How are you?  I just thought I would pop in with an 8x8 digital layout I created awhile back using the Garden Rose collection by Carina Gardner (purchased over at Snap.Click.Supply).

Although I haven't been good about keeping up with it this year, I love the idea of creating some of my pages in digital format so that I can easily mass produce them to share with family.  My favorite way to use them is by uploading them to Shutterfly and using their custom path option on photo books.  They have so many frequent sales on them and they make wonderful presents at Christmas time.  ;)

If you no longer find yourself creating scrapbook layouts in the traditional way I hope I've inspired you to flex your creative muscles using a digital format instead.  ;)

A Couple of Lori Whitlock Digital Summer Scrapbook Layouts

Just popping in to share a new summer themed layout up on Lori Whitlock's blog using her newest digital collection being released today called Island Paradise (which is available for purchase at Snap.Click.Supply).  :)

To create my layout I turned to a fun sketch by the gals at Scrapbook Generation.  It made the design process super quick and I just loved working with these bright and fun digital papers and elements!

While I'm here I thought I would share a second layout I created a month or two back for Lori using her Patchwork Layout Template 2 and her Home Sweet Home collection.  These templates were so much fun to work with and I just love the impact they have with so little effort!

If you've never tried your hand at digital scrapbooking, I would totally recommended dipping your toe in with one of these fun templates.  I am making these in an effort to get a head start on my custom path Shutterfly photo books I make for my family every Christmas.  :)

Thanks for stopping by.  :)

A Lori Whitlock Autumn Joy Pumpkin Patch Digital Layout

Hi y'all!  I'm just popping in to share a digital layout from a recent trip to the Pumpkin Patch using Lori Whitlock's recent Autumn Joy Papers & Elements over at Snap.Click.Supply.  I challenged myself to only use elements within the kit, which wasn't hard.  There are so many fun images and beautiful patterns!

I hope you all are enjoying a sunny Saturday and the remainder of your weekend!  :)

A Teen Instagram & Polaroid Camera Themed Birthday Party

Last weekend my daughter turned fourteen and I was seriously stumped on a theme.  To get some ideas we started surfing the Silhouette website and this darling Camera image caught our eye by Imaginisce which sort of set our whole party in motion.  I thought it would be fun to print the wording on the little polaroid coming out of the camera (in hindsight this would have also be darling created as a shaped card).  ;)

With a camera theme in mind I created these fun little instagram treat boxes using cutting files designed by Lori Whitlock (previously shared in more detail HERE).

That in turn had me thinking of ideas for games and I thought it would be fun to do a mall scavenger hunt where her and her friends would break into small groups and then be given an hour to run and take pictures of everything on the list.  I thought I was being really original, but apparently there are lots of variations of this out there. It turned out to be a really fun way to keep the girls entertained on a budget!

Sydney requested I make a KitKat ice cream cake which she had been drooling over for a couple years now on YouTube seen HERE.  I'm not too great in the kitchen, but I found it really easy to create (as long as I was patient enough to freeze it between each layer).  To carry out my rainbow theme I decorated the top with M&M's.  :)

And to finish it off I have a digital layout to share using some photos I took of her with her sister shortly before the party started.  I'm so happy I did this!  Since it was an evening party, I didn't get very many good photos of the actual event so this was a great way to document the day.

For this 2-page spread I used Lori Whitlock's newest Smile Collection available at Snap.Click.Supply.  Aside from a couple brads I used from her Basics Attachments set and the scalloped circle from Masking Template Set 3 I really tried to stick to using only what came with the kit.  :)

I don't know about you, but thinking about planning fun parties that my kids will love (and don't cost a fortune) always makes me break out in cold sweat each year.  With this in mind I hope I've helped inspire you for your next party.  Thanks so much for hanging with me today.  :)

A Lori Whitlock My Girl Colorful Digital Layout

I don't know about you, but I am one of those Moms who loves having my kids go back to school so today is a great day!  ;)  And it just so happens to be my 40th birthday as well so it was the perfect gift for me.  ;)

I thought I would pop in to share a digital layout I created using Lori Whitlock's adorable new My Girl Collection Kit available at Snap.Click.Supply.

I tried my best to stick with just the components of one kit with no extras (which honestly wasn't very hard), but I couldn't resist adding some little buttons from her Basic Life Embellishment Buttons Set as a finishing touch.  It's such a happy collection and it was so fun to work with.  I created this little layout in just over an hour which never happens for me in the paper department.  ;)

On a side note, I just added a new button to the right side of my blog.  After dragging my feet for awhile now I have finally created a new "Snippet By Mendi" page on facebook.  I'm feeling a bit lonely over there so I would love for you to come by and say hi and/or like my page.  :)

Thanks so much for stopping by.  :)

Lori Whitlock's March Blog Hop with "About Me" Layout

Hello and welcome to Lori Whitlock's April blog hop!  You should be arriving here from Corri's blog or if you are just joining in you can start from the beginning at Lori's blog.  

Today I have a colorful layout sharing my addiction to Converse sneakers using Lori's newest Summer Bliss collection which she designed for Echo Park.  As soon as I saw this fun title by Kolette Hall I knew I had to pull out my camera and document my shoe collection for the record books.  ;)  Lori was super sweet and even designed an adorable pair of sneakers to help put the finishing touch on my page. 

For my title I created a thin shadow which I cut from both yellow paper and two thin sheets of Silhouette Chipboard.  I then set to work gluing all the layers together with my favorite Zig glue pen.  I love the extra dimension and emphasis it gives my title.  

I used the following cutting files available for purchase in Lori's shop:

• Converse Shoe
• If The Shoe Fits by Kolette Hall
• 12 Tags
• 6 Tags

I also have a digital layout that I made awhile back using Lori's Digital papers and embellishments that I never got around to sharing.

For this one I used a fun sketch by Allison Davis at Scrapbook Generations.

To create my heart shape I temporarily used a random heart and then set to work covering it with a variety of Lori's flowers, buttons and brads.  When I was done I just deleted the original heart.  This was definitely a labor of love given the amount of shadows and layering involved, but I love how it turned out!  :)

To create this layout I used the following digital kits:

• Turquoise Basics
• Green Basics
• Basic Collection Set (bundle)
• Essential Shapes 1
• Masking Template Set 3
• Label Brushes Set B
• Basic Paper Flowers
• Basic Attachments
• Basic Life Embellishment Button Set
• Basics Embellishments Set (bundle)

In honor of the hop, Lori and Kolette Hall are offering 30% off all their SVG cutting files and fonts today through April 20th. 

Lori also has an awesome giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to one lucky winner. The contest will run April 14th through 21st and the winner will be announced April 21st.   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You're next stop on the hop is Brigit Mann's Blog.  :)

Lori Whitlock
Corri Garza 
Mendi Yoshikawa  (you are here)
Brigit Mann 
Traci Penrod 
Lorrie Nunemaker 
Natalie Graham 
Chrissy Guido
Stephanie Chavers 
Ashley Cook
Mary Moseley
Lisa Bell

Thanks so much for stopping by.  ;)

An Echo Park For The Record 2 Documented Digital Layout

As promised I'm back today to share another layout using the same photos in a different medium.  I created this layout for the 8x8 digital mini albums I made my family this past year for Christmas using Echo Park's For the Record 2 Documented digital collection designed by the amazing Lori Whitlock.

One of the things I love most about digital scrapbooking is that if something isn't quite right, you can alter it to fit your needs with the touch of a button.  In this case the blues in the collection weren't quite the right shade to compliment our shirts in the photos, but by playing with the tint they became nearly a perfect match!  :)

This was another layout that I created before I had any other brushes in my arsenal so I chose a sketch by Scrapbook Generations that used clean lines and didn't require any fancy shapes outside of the kits I purchased. ;)

When creating my second page I just copied my first page as a new file and flipped it so I could make sure the photo and border elements would line up with the first page.  As I went on I learned it was good to do this step before adding shadows so that they can all be to the same side.  :)

Thanks so much for peeking!  Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!  :)

Echo Park Love Story 2-page Valentine's Day Digital Layout

Today I'm sharing a double page Valentine's Day layout I created for my 8x8 Shutterfly album several months ago.

I made this digital layout using Echo Park's Love Story collection designed by Lori Whitlock and a sketch by Allison Davis. I tried to pick a sketch that not only worked with my photos, but also with the embellishments in the collection without a lot of special masking templates and shapes I didn't yet own.

This layout was my first attempt at Digital scrapbooking and working on it was exhilarating.  I had a light bulb moment realizing with my simple (non-Photoshop) software I could fill any digital embellishment with the patterned paper of my choice.  

For my layout I used the following kits available for purchase at Snap.Click.Supply:

• Echo Park Love Story Element Pack #1
• Echo Park Love Story Paper Pack #2
• Echo Park Love Story Full Collection

Thanks for taking a look and for the sweet comments that have been left.  I know we are all so busy so they always mean so much to me!  :)

Day 21- A Lori Whitlock Christmas Day Digital Layout

After days and days of cards I'm so excited to finally have a scrapbook layout to share!  I've really missed my first love of working with photos, but I wanted to get the majority of my cards done and shared before it's too late.  ;)

I designed this layout for the last page of my digital 8x8 Shutterfly Custom photo book.  I actually took these photos quite early in November because I wanted to take advantage of a sale and get my books ordered in time for my husband to hand deliver them to his Mom in Japan during a business trip in early December.  Sadly the "real" Santa that we visit every year wasn't there yet and they had some bad stand-in.  After getting my youngest all dressed up with her hair brushed (a rarity) I was pretty bummed, but rather than pay for photos I wouldn't be happy with we decided to steal a few shots using his elaborate display as a backdrop.  I actually thought they turned out pretty cute.

I used the following digital kits (and a 2Peas sketch by Nichol Magouirk) to create today's layout:

• Christmas Day Collection by Lori Whitlock
• Christmas Day Elements by Lori Whitlock
• Christmas Day Journaling Cards by Lori Whitlock
• Christmas Day Paper by Lori Whitlock
• Embellishment Button Set by Lori Whitlock
• Basic Attachments by Lori Whitlock

Thanks for stopping by.  I have a couple more layouts to share soon (I promise).  ;)

Two Lori Whitlock Halloween Themed Digital Layouts

I hope you are all enjoying your Halloween so far.  I thought I would share a couple of digital Halloween layouts I created for my ongoing 8x8 Christmas album project this past weekend.  :)

I created these two layouts knowing that they would sit side by side in the bound album which presented a bit of a challenge.  I wanted to scrapbook them in such a way that they stood as individual layouts that complimented their specific photos, but also didn't completely clash with each other.  To achieve this I chose a unifying background color that would work for both layouts and used square mats of the same size.  I also tried to pick more neutral tone-on-tone prints and similar tones of green & orange colors that would compliment both digital collections.  To achieve this I had to play with the color tints a bit, but I've found that this ability is one of the little perks of working in digital.

For my pumpkin patch layout I used the following digital kits:

• Lori Whitlock Fall Fling Elements 
• Lori Whitlock Fall Fling Papers
• Lori Whitlock Happy Harvest Elements (polka-dot pumpkin)
• Lori Whitlock Happy Harvest Papers (solid orange)
• Lori Whitlock Masking Borders 1 (rick-rack)
• Lori Whitlock Embellishment Set Buttons

For my Halloween layout I used the following digital elements:

• Lori Whitlock "Vintage" Font
• Lori Whitlock Halloween Flair
• Lori Whitlock Basic Attachments
• Lori Whitlock Happy Halloween Elements
• Lori Whitlock Happy Halloween Paper
• Echo Park Apothecary Halloween Element Pack 2
• Echo Park Dots & Stripes Soda Fountain Paper Pack 2 (green dot)
• Miss Kate's Cuttables Halloween Borders Set (spiderweb)

Well, that's all I have for now.  I hope to be back soon with some paper projects soon.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween.  :)

A Despicable Me Minion Themed Birthday Party

Last week my youngest daughter celebrated a birthday and she settled on a Despicable Me "Minion" theme.  Thanks to Pinterest I had no shortage of great ideas for her party!  :)

For her invites I turned to this fabulous idea pinned HERE.  I made a few tweaks, but stayed fairly true to the original inspiration piece.  My main changes were shortening the overall card and hair so that it would fit in an A2 envelope and rounding the top corners to form my Minion head.   I also decided to play around with some basic circle and rounded square shapes on my Silhouette software and was able to replicate the "Gru" symbol with the help of same black vinyl.  If it's possible I just fell a little deeper in love with my Silhouette.  ;)

For our cupcakes I made the ever so popular minion cupcakes that are all over Pinterest.  My craftiness sort of stops in the kitchen.  I'm by no means a great cook or baker, but I found these pretty easy to execute.

I enjoyed the video found HERE.  While my daughter wasn't interested in using a banana flavored recipe I just used a standard yellow cake mix and a tub of blue Pillsbury frosting so I didn't even have to mess with dyeing it.  I was also pretty stoked to find pre-made eyes by Wilton at Michaels!  And while I'm rambling, can I just say how thankful I am for the comeback of Twinkies?!  None of the kids at the party knew what they are, but the parents were excited and they made the perfect minions.  :)

For my treat bags I was inspired by the treat bags pinned HERE and the cups pinned HERE.  I searched all over online for affordable yellow bags and finally settled on some from Oriental Trader, but I was not impressed.  They were quite small and had all sorts of quality issues.  Right after I placed my order I found some at Michaels that were larger, much nicer and would have been about the same price with a coupon.  :(

AND lastly I decided I would challenge myself to hurry and put together another digital layout (for my Christmas gift albums) to share with my post today. I kept it pretty simple with another awesome sketch by Allison Davis at Scrapbook Generation.  

As you can see from the party pictures we rounded out our minion theme with a pinata from Walmart.  The pinata was a pull-the-string variety and it seems like when we've done these in the past it breaks open with the first or second string pulled and several kids are always sad they didn't get a turn.  This year my sister had the bright idea of having everyone grab a string and pull together on the count of three.  They almost pulled her right off the bar stool she was kneeling on and the Minion lost his legs in the process, but I thought it was a clever idea.  :)

To create my layout I used the following kits available for purchase:

• Echo Park Summer Days Paper Pack
• Frosty Paper Pack by Lori Whitlock (for solid blue & blue polka-dot)
• Masking Borders 2 by Lori Whitlock
• Label Brushes Set A by Lori Whitlock
• Miss Kate's Yummy Ice Cream Cone (comes with both .png and .svg files).

Thanks for hanging with me!  Next up on my list are some quick thank you cards, but just between us I think I'm going to cheat and try my best to dress up some clip art.  ;)

A Carta Bella Paris Girl Digital Scrapbook Layout

I've been busy working on several layouts for my Shutterfly albums trying to get caught up in time for Christmas gifts so I thought I would share one of them with you today!   :)

A couple week's ago Jessica Spague had part of Carta Bella's Paris Girl Collection included in their One Buck Wednesday deals and when I saw it I just knew it would be perfect for my daughter's recent birthday (shared HERE).  I also used some faux stitching from the Shabby Princess Splendid kit and faux sequins, pearls and rhinestone brads from Sweetly Scrapped which are all available to download for FREE!  :)

I must confess... Digital layouts take me almost as long as traditional layouts, but I love the fact that with this format I can make unlimited copies.   In spite of this I know I will never be able to go 100% digital.  I just love playing with paper way to much.  In fact I think I will most likely scrapbook these pictures again for my traditional scrapbook albums so hopefully it won't feel too much like deja vu when I share those layouts in the future.  ;)

For my layout today I used a wonderful sketch by Scrapbook Generation.  I'm a huge fan of Allison Davis and her amazing sketches!  :)

Thanks for hanging with me today.  Hope you have an awesome weekend!