big and beautiful

I am finally posting the layouts I did for the fun and fabulous Summer CHA 2012 Social that 2Peas hosted in mid-July! 

First up is my take on Jen Gallacher's use fabric challenge. I started out with big visions for this one. Pulled out some of my favourite fabric scraps, adhesive-backed canvases, stamps, my sewing machine, piles of ribbon, all of my fabric tapes. In the end I just ended up with one piece of fabric tape, and a ribbon bow. I felt like I cheated on this challenge, but in the end, I got a page done, and I think that's why I love challenges so much. A fun prompt to make me think, a chance to get creative, and a deadline to motivate me! A wonderful trifecta!

The theme of this page is one I had been thinking about for a while. We had several ultrasounds during my pregnancy with Lady Bon-Bon, the usual routine ones plus a couple of extras to check her size since Addie Blue was over 11 pounds when she was born, and NO ONE wanted to let that happen again! Anyway, during one ultrasound, the technician showed us Lady B's brains. Her delicate little skull, and the little brains inside, shaped like a walnut. Even though she's our third, no one had ever shown us baby brains on an ultrasound before. It was so beautiful! 

The background paper for this layout is one of my faves. It is the backside of Studio Calico's Encircled paper. I layered blue vellum over the centre portion of the page, behind the photos, to provide a foundation for the pictures and all the *stuff*. Love the way the diagonal stripe is still visible through the vellum! 

The fabric tape I used for this challenge is that lovely pink dot on white by Love My Tapes, just above the main colour photo. This tape is lovely. Adds great texture to the page. 

Here is one fabric component... tied a bow out of this bright watermelon grosgrain ribbon. The centre is set with this fabulous Studio Calico Abroad flair that says "what a wonderful world". Seemed like the perfect sentiment for this page! The paper behind the photo is from the Studio Calico Memoir 6x6 pad. Love this line! And love these little papers. Seriously cannot get enough of them and their tiny prints. 

I typed journalling directly onto a Marcy Penner Hello Forever label. These labels were a total impulse buy as a result of my sister's excellent influence, but I love them! Have used almost all of both packages I purchased, and will def be adding more to my next 2Peas order. 

More confetti! I think 9 out of 10 of my pages have confetti on them. Love it! Such a great way to add something to an empty little corner of the page, without "filling it up" with blocks of paper or other visually heavy embellishments. 

Supplies: patterened paper (Studio Calico); tags (Ranger, Avery, the Paper Company); labels (Hello Forever); photo corners (Canson); punch (Martha Stewart); tape (Heidi Swapp, Love My Tapes); flair (Studio Calico).