This is a post in which I share my love of October Afternoon's Boarding Pass line. I had a chance to work with it for the summer CHA trade show and made this travel layout and card:
This was one of the easiest layouts I've ever done. I printed three 4" X 3" photos, printed journaling on a 12" X 5" strip of cardstock, stuck my photos on the strip, added the "San Francisco" label cut from the 8" X 8" paper pad, glued everything to the "Sydney" paper, added two pieces of Chip 'n Stick embellished with navy-blue jute, and popped a label sticker from the Word Stickers at the bottom. As soon as I was done I decided this was my new favorite layout.
This card was similarly easy, just strips cut from papers in the 8" X 8" pad with two Chip n' Stick embellishments added.
After I finished my CHA projects I got more inspired and made this heritage layout (yes, that's a copy of my grandfather's family's passport photo, and yes, those are copies of his actual embarkation card and and another document):
Again, easy! I glued the 8" X 8" map paper onto the "Amsterdam" paper and then added embellishments, journaling strips, and my title. The title stickers, label sticker, chipboard polaroid frame, chipboard ship, and chipboard circle/star are all Boarding Pass and the line on the map is more navy jute and brads. After I was done, "Emigrate" became my new favorite layout, in case there was any doubt!
I also used Boarding Pass for my August Write.Click.Scrapbook. gallery layout (appearing here on August 1st...be patient!).
I have a zillion more ideas for this line, so stay tuned. Some of those ideas may land here soon.
While I didn't make it to the CHA show this week, I confess to being an armchair attendee. I've been checking out the sneak peeks, photos, and videos from the show, and will now share my top picks from what I've seen.
It goes without saying that I'm excited about October Afternoon's new releases (Farmhouse, Sidewalks, and Sasparilla), but I am, of course, a little biased! I think Sidewalks is my favorite of the three new collections, but only time will tell.
Okay, now that we've gotten my bias out of the way, let's move on to my other top four picks, in no particular order.
1. Studio Calico's Autumn Press Collection
As always, Studio Calico impresses with their color palette and broad range of patterns within a collection. I will be buying every single piece of this line as soon as it hits stores!
2. Fancy Pants' Off to School Collection
I love the unusual colors here and am particularly crazy about the Chalk Stickers and the Design Embellishments.
3. Simple Stories' Happy Day Collection
It's rare that a birthday collection comes out that draws my attention, but something about the colors and patterns here drew me in. I am hoping that these papers will motivate me to address the backlog of birthday photos I have piled up!
4. Crate Paper's Farmhouse Collection
I love these colors! This whole line just makes me happy, especially this piece of paper:
So...knowing I'm a sucker for anything that combines bright colors with vintage and whimsical elements, what did I miss that I should add to my top picks list?
As of today, my life has changed. I am both tremendously excited and a little bit nervous.
I spent the last three years in an amazing full-time job, working year-round as a curriculum coordinator for my local school district. I am so thankful for the experience, for my colleagues' friendship and wisdom, and for all that I learned. However, my job was grant-funded, and, as is the case with grant-funded work, the grant came to an end. When I found out that my funding would not be renewed, I made the decision to return to part-time work so that I would have more time for my family and for me.
My job ended in June and I took five weeks' worth of vacation time. First, we went to New Hampshire to visit my parents. While there, we road-tripped to Montreal with the kids and my parents (via Ben and Jerry's in Vermont, of course!). We came back to Denver for just under a week to hang out with friends and enjoy our annual Denver 4th of July traditions. After that we headed to California to go to family camp in the Sierras with extended family.
As of today, I'm juggling part-time consulting for my school district, part-time freelance/contract work in the scrapbooking world, and part-time stay-at-home mom-hood. It feels good. Weird, but good. I am sure I will figure out a schedule and find just the right balance soon.
It's been really interesting to hear reactions to my new life from friends and family. They range from "Good for you! You work harder than anyone I know and deserve some time off!" to "I can't believe you are throwing away your career!" What I've learned through this transition is that you have to do what's right for you, and what's right for you might not be what's right for someone else. I've also learned that what's right for you now might not have been right for you five years ago and may not be right for you five years from now.
So...as I begin this new journey, I will finally have time to hug my kids more, blog again, scrap more, and dare I say it...exercise. Stay tuned...tomorrow will be my top picks from CHA even though I'm not in Chicago. First, however, I will hug my kids, jump on the treadmill or go for a bike ride, put in a couple of hours of consulting work, and take Eli to see the new Harry Potter movie.
