Favorite Layouts of 2011

Hello friends! I've had such a wonderful time since I became a member of the design team here but sadly, this will be my last post and inspiration on the layout blog. I'm so thankful to Noel for the opportunity to create with her beautiful kits each month and I certainly won't be a stranger around the message board. I'm a Noel Mignon kit club fan for life! :)

Towards the end of the year I always reflect back on the work I have created and decided that for my last post here I would share some of my favorite layouts I have created with Noel Mignon kits in 2011.

1) January's "Very Virginia" kit -

2) February's "Truly Scrumptious" kit -

3) March's "Delightfully Domestic" kit -

4) April's "Jump & Jive" kit -

5) May's "Mary Ellen" kit -

6) June's "The Bee's Knees" kit -

7) August's "Salt Water Taffy" kit -

8) September's "Study Hall" kit -

9) October's "Sleepy Hollow" kit -

10) November's "Dear Diary" kit -

I'm still working on my December Memories album with the "Mistletoe & Holly" kit so if you would like to see my pages, please keep an eye on my blog. Thanks so much for your friendship and mutual inspiration this past year!

All the best!
Jill

A few cards!

Hi friends! Sorry for the late post today but I've been a little under the weather with a summer cold. Today I have a few simple cards to share with you using the Jump & Jive, Mary Ellen & Very Virginia kits.

First, a little friendship card with Jump & Jive...

Here's a sweet baby girl card with Mary Ellen...

And finally, a romantic wedding card with Very Virginia.

See you next week!

Jill

Fabulous Friends

Since I didn't get the Mary Ellen kit I find myself really digging in and using a ton of the past few kits... they are work together so very well! I used mostly Jump and Jive for this but mixed in Delightfully Domestic too... love that about the Noel Mignon kits!! :)

I love how this one really came together very easy... I have had these pictures sitting on my desk it seems forever... I saw the music sheet in the kit and just starting laying stuff out and before I knew it the layout was done... gotta love when that happens!! I snuck in some quick facts about the pictures and called it done... I really like the results too! :)

Jump over to the message board... I have a challenge going on using this layout... hop over there to find out what it is! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

check the message boards for new "mini challenges" that the design team will be doing! Here's my take on the one from last week... "scrap your man". A few years ago, I grabbed a few shots of my hubby hard at work designing blueprints. It's fun to showcase them in a layout, since I definitely don't scrap my hubby enough...

Mixing Up Kits!

My little girl's first word (other than the regular ones like "mama" and "dada" and "eat" and such), was "Shoes!"

The little thing has a big affection for shoes. She loves to wear them all.
I knew I had to use that paper from Delightfully Domestic (the shoe & purse print from Cosmo Cricket), and I mixed it up with papers & embellies from Mary Ellen and Jump & Jive.
I love how well these kits mixed together!

just be

There are moments in life when we have to just let go of our fears and insecurities and just be who we're meant to be. The last few months have been filled with that for me. And everything has almost come together...

So I just wanted to encourage you today. If you're thinking about it, take the leap. Whatever it is for you.

Cultivating a Grateful Heart with a Gratitude Journal

I've got a little app on my iPod touch that has been fun to record the things I'm grateful for each night.... but as much as I love technology (heh good ol' Napoleon Dynamite), sometimes a girl just wants something that is more concrete.

I made this simple book so that I had a more permanent place to keep my grateful thoughts in.
It's really simply made out of paper kraft bags and patterned papers & embellishments from several NoelMignon kits (especially Mary Ellen &Jump and Jive).
I also threw in some papers from a little Jenni Bowlin Studios notebook I've had for a long time.
And masking tape. Of course, masking tape. :)




I hope to fill it up very quickly with gratefulness...

Documenting World Events

I typically am not an event scrapper, more of what I would call a moments/emotion scrapper.

However, obviously, events are important to be documented! I am a big believer of everyone having a story to tell, and even if it's an event that a lot of people have experienced, you have a unique perspective!

I felt like I needed to document the day that all the tornadoes came through our state. April 27th.

It's one of those things your grandkids will want to know... your part in the big picture.

(An aside- I felt very Gretchen-like making this page. Something about the straight lines, the heart, the colors, that black and white striped paper in a small strip... I love that we all have our distinct styles! My fellow design team members and our message board members always inspire me!)
I thought it was really cool that the Jump and Jive kit had these chipboard accents, and that there was one that had "27" on it. It was a perfect accent. The "april" sticker was cut off of one of the border strips from Cosmo Cricket that was in the kit as well.

I whipped out my date stamp from the Office Party kit.

If you don't have pictures of an event, or the ones that tell your story, you can always go to the internet! I had originally seen these photos from an amazing set that the Boston Globe did of the tornado damage. The one on the bottom broke my heart. I made sure to make a note on there from where the photos came.

I feel like I have more stories to share about the tornadoes and their aftermath. I don't know how I'll record those; perhaps just in a journal... but I am glad I have this page documented, because it is certainly a day I will never forget.

Created with the Jump and Jive kit.

Madison

Hi friends!

I know we mentioned several times that the Mary Ellen kit and the Jump and Jive kit would go really well together.... well, today, I have an example of that for ya!

I was so excited as I was pulling pieces of paper out of the Mary Ellen kit and saw this piece of Crate Paper "Emma's Shoppe" paper. The colors in it matched this photo PERFECTLY! Love it when that happens! It was the perfect accent for this page about one of the girls in my church that I helped get ready for prom.

The pieces of bling and borders from the Jump and Jive kit blended right in!

Thanks for stopping by today! Oh and don't forget our newest feature: the Deal of the Day! Great sales on some of your favorite supplies!

i love...

Can I just say that when I watched the video for this latest challenge I had the song in my head, like, all.day.long! hehe Is it bad that I'm old enough to remember that song way back when??? I probably shouldn't admit that... 

Anyhoo, here's my take on this latest challenge about scrapping things we love. I decided to go with the 'no picture' layout again (just like on the domestic goddess challenge layout in this post).

I used the Jump & Jive kit for this layout once again...such a fabulous kit :) Yes, my cardstock is bent. I dropped it. I'm pregnant...and clumsy. Enough said...

 

Now go scrap about the things you love! 

Nightly...

I wanted to do a layout about Madison's nightly conversations...each night she curls up and talks on the phone with her boyfriend... it's nice that in the day of texting they still take the time to actually talk on the phone... :)

I used all Jump and Jive kit for this:

with all the cool tags and embellishments in the Noel kits I have a hard time not wanting to use them all on one layout... lol... so instead I just do mini little collages... I love how they all group together and help to balance out the photos on the right. Here's a close up of the collage...

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Don't forget about the latest challenge!!

Now technically this shouldn't be a "challenge" but for me, it is.

The challenge is just to use stamps on a project.

For most people that is no challenge at all.

But for some reason, I don't ever stamp.

So this "challenge" was good for me then!

{well it was good after i finally found my dang clear block!}

And this stamp from the Jump & Jive kit is pretty cool so I really wanted to use it!

And this is what I made...

I think I used bits and pieces from 3 different Noel Mignon kits.
(let's see, most of the paper & the stamp is from Jump & Jive; chipboard alphas from Very Virginia; buttons from Delightfully Domestic; and little bits & scraps from all 3)

I love how well her kits all mix together!

And you know I don't want to waste a single bit!

OK now, if I can stamp so can you!
So come play along with us!
:)

Happy Monday!

gretchen