Thursday, May 22, 2014

Artful Leigh Sketches for Title Cards Free Download 1


Artful Leigh Sketches for Title Cards Free Download1


My first free download is now available to print out or just download to your computer! I am making more sketches to release each week. Thank you for visiting today and feel free to share this link to my site!!

This is just a sneak peek of the full page 8 1/2 x 11 PDF printable now available for free, link above!
Come back tomorrow for a new sketch and sample title card in the Friday Title Card Series!! Would love to have a giveaway and you guys link up your cards in the comments, if you make a new title card and share it along with a link back to this site, thank you!!!

Friday, May 16, 2014

Friday Title Card Series: Inspiration and ideas for making Pocket Page Title cards quickly!

Quick title card, for a special week. I wanted to add some texture and figured if I needed inspiration, maybe some of you do too! So why not use something I have already designed?  Threw some die cuts laying around on my desk together for this 12 minute card.

Thank you for visiting today!!

Saturday, May 10, 2014

How to Organize a Project Life Station

Here is my newly organized Project Life Station in my craft room, but I have some organizational tips that would work for any area. I will highlight each section and give tips below the photos. While each person uses a different set of supplies to make their Project Life albums, there are still many common items we need to complete the task. You really can complete your pages with nothing more than a journaling pen, Project Life Core Kit, Album, and pocket pages, and those are totally beautiful!!! For my personal style, I like a few embellishments,  seven or more 4x6 photos, and lots of journaling.  After all I do have a big craft room AND 15 YEARS of collected scrapbook supplies to use up:)




Tip #1)  Before I assembled my PL station, I wrote down all the supplies I had to collect from around my room to complete a Project Life spread. I realize almost every Professional Organizer has given this tip and I ignored it! It really does help though, ha!
Tip #2) Add vertical storage whenever possible. This distressed wood/metal organizer from Target really helped to get a more functional area. I had a few mini-albums displayed here before and moved them to display elsewhere. Now I have nine cubbies of storage where there was none!!
Tip #3) Use labels that have removable adhesive or that you can erase and relabel easily. These erasable chalkboard labels from Staples (MArtha Stewart Line) work well since I change favorites often:)





Here is a little sample of the die cut pail, that holds Cropper Hopper Embellishment boxes with my most used die cuts by shape.
Tip #4) Group like items. Simple, I used what I had on hand.





My most used die cuts are: circle, flower, numbers, butterflies, days of the week, Week No., stars, and hearts. Punched in white since I have lots of ink pads to recolor if need be.
Tip #5) Smaller scale die cuts, and punches work well on the smaller canvas of a 4x6, or 3x4 Project Life card.





I had these organizers already, but moved them to this station and reorganized the contents to suit my needs right now. Added PL Inserts( smaller than 12x12)  for when I need more photo or journaling room in a week. Added all the free printable Core Kit indexes from BeckyHiggins.com for all my current kits. Labeled in the aqua folder above" PL Core Card Index" so that I don't have to search through the boxes for a specific card. This is much quicker for me.




Here is a close up of how I labeled the inserts so I could find them easier; again old Cropper Hopper Paper File Dividers.
Tip#6) Label how you search. Easy enough.  Instead of going around the room to find page protectors, now I just have this central location for my most used inserts.





I found these aqua- lidded shoeboxes at Target $4.99/ five. Now my Studio Calico PRoject Life and Card Kit papers are organized by color, since thats how I search for them!




 More of my most used supplies:(from bottom Left) Green Bucket: Embossing Stylus ( for scoring fold-overs for extra pics) craft knife, tweezers, heart punch, star punches.
Aqua Buckets: circle punches (1.75", and 1.25") and self inking circular journaling stamp
Pink Bucket: circle punch(1.5")
Sharp, Detail, and sewing scissors, another circle punch, and the Pebbles Inc / Studio Calico Large roller stamp, a Tonic arrow punch, and my Tim Holtz stapler!
Top Row: PRoject Life Mini Kits, My pink ATG, Craft-Mate cases that lock for all the Studio Calico Kit Embellishments organized by color( this is a years' worth).

Thank you for visiting and I will be posting more Project Life organization soon!!







Wednesday, April 30, 2014

2014 Project Life: Week one and two

Feels so good to have completed the entire 52 weeks of Project Life 2013, and now to blog the six weeks I have done for 2014!!  For week one, I used the Midnight Edition Core Kit, and one Becky Higgins blank grid card for the aqua paint splatter and life die cut ( Simon Says Stamp: Life Family Love die). There will be lots of interior design photos for the first three months of 2014, since I basically painted and redesigned the whole downstairs of our house. New curtains, new furniture, rugs, lamps, pillows and so on etc. Hopefully I can squeeze in as many family photos as I have, but this is our life right now. So I am going with it!



 Week two I used the new Coral Edition Core Kit from Becky Higgins LLC.  I love this kit, because it seems to coordinate with the photos and decor in my life right now!! Lots of journaling, and just a few embellishments like washi tape and enamel dots. Washi tape is from Studio Calico via Pebbles Inc. and the enamel dots are MME " Cut and Paste" line.

Thank you for joining me on this 2014 adventure with Project Life supplies!!

Friday, March 14, 2014

The Sparrow Painting

In taking time to be creative, and listening to the Holy Spirit, I find peace and artistry can come together. This is my first acrylic painting of a bird ever, and I was happy to give it to one of my very best friends and sister in the Lord. I was inspired by her favorite hymn "His Eye Is On The Sparrow", and Matthew 10:29-31 "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows"



For all those in need of peace today, I pray you find it. Thank you for visiting today.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Living Room Reveal: 2014


Vintage Brass, Ivory, Driftwood Gray, and repeating circular elements were all part of the things I wanted in this room. The first inspiration piece that I fell in love with was this fabric from Braemore...



It is called Gorgeous Pearl, and I saw it on Centsational Girl's Blog. 



Once I got the fabric in, I carried it and the paint samples around to pick the furniture, and I might have even taken the whole roll into West Elm to see if it coordinated with the jute boucle rug (Platinum). Oh Yes, it did!!  Hopefully it will arrive SOON!



I made two pillows and parts of five window treatments with the four yards of  inspiration fabric.



You can see three of the new window treatments here, and I restyled the bookcase by painting existing items either Gloss White or Gold by Rustoleum. The sofa is the exact color of Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl, LOVE that warm gray!


Have two of these driftwood spheres from West Elm.



Here is my Design Notebook (Fancy I know!) Hubby thought it was funny that I made and cut out the furniture and rugs to scale,  but it helped me get a whole new layout and purchase the right size pieces. Just like the old days in Design School, man do I miss those classes!!
SOURCES: Furniture(Macy's)
                    Lamps: (Target)
                    PAint: Sherwin Williams(Paper Lantern), Trading Post Tan (No longer available, but they                          still have the formula in the computer)
                    Fabric: Braemore(Gorgeous Pearl)
                    Accessories:West Elm (Driftwood Spheres) , books(Design School), 
                    Pillows: Ivory(Pier One), White (Target)
                    RUG: on its way!! West Elm
                    Mirror,Brass end table: Homegoods

Next week I will give a Tutorial on my Custom Color Blocked 11 Foot Long Curtains, and if I can do it, you can too!! FOR $44!  I installed them on my own as well......


Look for the tutorial for these next week!! Thanks DIY peeps!!




Saturday, February 1, 2014

Gray Paint: A Quick Laundry Room Makeover

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my quick makeover using Lowe's Olympic One Paint in the color Secret Passage! This color matches my hall bath, and I LOVE that it also covered the red paint in here in one coat. AWESOME! I added some Macbeth Contact Paper, and Homegoods baskets for clean clothes. One of my favorite things in the room is......


This free download from "Howdy Honey".  I simply Painted a frame on hand, added gray washi tape and some scrapbook paper and tada! All the colors in the room are on here, and it was free. SMILE.


My other fav in this room are the two totes from the etsy shop Molly and Lucy . Can you say " Hello chevron beauties, I must have you"? I know I did.


The Macbeth Contact paper from amazon totally matches the chevron totes, and it looks like I planned it that way:)


It looks bigger in here! IT could be that I cleaned out all items that don't have to do with laundry, or cleaning. Like why did I have extension cords, dog leashes, etc,etc.  You might have to shield your eyes for the before and after, seriously this hurt my eyes:)


Uh, yikes! That's embarrassing, but just keeping it real. Thank you so much for joining me on this makeover my whole downstairs journey:) Here is a sneak peek of what room is next......



Join me next week for my Formal Living Room reveal!!!!