Scout Camp - Pink Paislee

Hello! Are you making plans to get out in the wild this summer? Have you seen Pink Paislee's latest collection - Outfitters? You're going to want to scrapbook all your outdoor adventures with Outfitters! It's Outfitters week on the Pink Paislee blog and I'm excited to kick it off with this layout about scout camp:

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of Precocious Paper. I do receive financial compensation and products from American Crafts to develop certain blog posts, but all of the ideas and opinions are my own.

I barely managed to get Colten to cooperate for some photos before he left to his first scout camp last summer ;). This year, both Colten and Carson get to go, and Josh will go up for part of the week again. They're excited to earn more merit badges and get to hang out with their friends.

I'm not usually a fan of collections that are too themey. Camping/outdoorsy lines have almost always been my least favorite. They tend to be too cartoonish to me. However, I am really loving Outfitters! Pink Paislee is spot on the trends with this one, and it isn't too "campy" at all. Oversized plaids, copper foil accents, trendy triangles, cute campers and thermoses...it's all so great I want to plan more camping trips for the summer just to use more Outfitters!

Be sure to head over to the Pink Paislee blog this week to see what the design team is up to with this great collection.

Thanks for stopping by and have a good one! Tessa

Mixed Media Cards - Pink Paislee

One of my favorite things to do when I have some spare time (like waiting for school to get out during pick up) is to scroll through Instagram or Pinterest admiring mixed media scrapbook layouts and art journaling. I admire so much what talented people can do with paint! Someday I'll learn, but in the meantime, I play:

I was tasked by Pink Paislee with the assignment to apply some mixed media techniques to a set of cards. I chose to create with the C'est La Vie collection because I wanted to experiment with the gorgeous deep teal color in that line:

I mixed blue and green acrylic paints until I had the color I wanted, and then I mixed that with gel medium. The gel medium gives body to the paint. I generously applied the paint in thick brush strokes so that when dry, the paint was raised. It's the kind of texture that makes you think the paint is still wet.

I let each card dry and then I added layers of patterned paper, metallic thread and washi tape. I used foam adhesive to lift the embellishments off the card faces.

You can read more, see more photos and visit the other mixed media posts from this week, on the Pink Paislee blog here. Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

This Week in my Planner - Scrapbook Circle

Hello friends! I'm sharing this week in my planner on the Scrapbook Circle blog today. I had so much fun working with the Plan On It add-on last month that I decided to use the You + Me add-on this month to decorate more planner pages:

The add-on includes the adorable Thickers from the Paige Evans/Pink Paislee Fancy Free line, as well as super cute pleather bows by We R Memory Keepers and clear acetate words and shapes by Jillibean Soup.

I made planner clips from the bows, as well as a piece of flair from the main kit.

I also used stickers from the other add-on and patterned paper from the main kit.

You can read more at the Scrapbook Circle blog here. And if you're a Facebook groupie, we have a new Scrapbook Circle community that you're welcome to join. Find Scrapbook Circle of Friends here. Have a great day! Tessa

NSD Challenge - Pink Paislee

Happy interNational Scrapbooking Day! Pink Paislee is celebrating with hourly challenges and a chance to win a fabulous prize! If you're scrapping this weekend and in the following week, I'd love for you to join in on my challenge:

The challenge is to ditch they typical squares and rectangles and make a layout out of circles! The gorgeous Fancy Free collection features a patterned paper that is patterned circles on one side and watercolor circles with phrases on the other side. I pulled out my scissors and fussy-cut my favorite circles.

Next, I used a punch to cut my photos into circles. I matted the photos on white vellum for a subtle touch. I used American Crafts colored twine to loop more circles and I secured the twine in place with We R Memory Keepers new Staple Board. The Staple Board lets you staple anywhere on the page without the limitations of your stapler's reach. It's awesome!

I embellished with round buttons and round splatters of mist. It was hard to stop with the circles once I got going ;).

If you play along with my challenge or any other Pink Paislee challenge, be sure to tag your IG post with #ppNSD2016 to be eligible to win. A winner will be announced on the 14th. Good luck and happy scrapping!

Today - Pink Paislee

Have you ever admired another scrapbooker's style but found yourself lacking the time or skill to make it happen? I have a short list of scrapbook idols and Paige Evans is on it. I LOVE what she does with patterned paper, colors, and her Silhouette machine. I know that many of her layouts are time-consuming and intricate, though, and so I've never attempted a Paige-esque layout of my own. Until now. 

Thank you, Pink Paislee! Paige Kits. Not only is the name punny-cute, but they are a miracle in getting the Paige look without the Paige effort. See all those different patterned pieces? I didn't cut out a single one. The background sheet is printed that way. The die-cut overlay is included and I didn't have to peel negative pieces off of a sticky mat...for days. I love that. Even the foam adhesive to pop the die-cut layer up on the background is included.

The title piece is included, as well. I chose to use the letters for my title and the negative of the "t" (my initial) as a sub-title. 

There are also die-cuts (hearts) and journaling spots included.

I can't say that I've been a huge fan of page kits in the past, but Paige Kits? They are the best! You can check out my post on the Pink Paislee blog here. Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

C'est La Vie Spiral Notebook - Pink Paislee

The C'est La Vie collection by Pink Paislee includes this gorgeous notebook, not unlike their Christmas-themed notebook or Memorandum notebook. I love them all, but I especially love this one because of the chic floral touches.

I decided to make a gift out of this one, a quote book that I would fill with special sentiments and decorate with C'est La Vie papers and embellishments.

I decided on a topic for each section. I embellished the first page in each section with handwritten and typewriter font quotes, acetate, patterned paper, stickers, and cork, as well as ink splatters and gold thread.

I'm going to share all the pages on Periscope this Friday, so look for that (username PrecociousPaper).

After that, I'm wrapping it up in more delicious C'est La Vie product and shipping it off to the sweet recipient. I hope she likes it :).

Check out more photos on the Pink Paislee blog here. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day! Tessa

Hello Baby Love - Pink Paislee

I'm excited to share another layout created with the C'est La Vie collection by Pink Paislee!

My last C'est La Vie layout was all about pink; this one is totally different color palette-wise. I love it when I can pull a variety of color schemes from the same collection :).

The Pink Paislee blog is all about Valentine's Day this week and next, and we're celebrating with BIG titles. I used the "hello" acetate pieces from the ephemera pack as well as the black acetate alphas to create my oversized title.

You can read more about my process over at the Pink Paislee blog here. Something I didn't share there, though, is my journaling for this page:

I like to make mushy-gushy love letter type layouts for my kids, especially around Valentine's Day. I hope they appreciate them one day :).

I have a running joke going with my kids. I randomly ask, "Did you forget?" Sometimes it catches them off guard and out of context, so I act flabbergasted that they would forget. What are they forgetting? That I love them. Most times, though, they smile (or, in my almost 13 year old's case, smirk) and they say they remember. I hope that these scrapbook pages are another way that they will always remember that I love them.

Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

Ooh La La - Pink Paislee

As soon as I found out I was having a girl, people asked if I'd put her in dance class. My answer was always yes, if she'd like to dance. I didn't want her to dance just because Mommy did; however, I knew she'd be influenced. In her little life she has gone to many dance competitions and performances. She has stopped by the studio, she has played during private lessons, and she loves to get together with Mommy's dancers at our parties. She has seen Mommy work on choreography at home and she loves to watch dance videos on YouTube, Facebook and IG. 

Addie loved getting ballet shoes. I have to hide them or else she'd wear them 24/7.

I just knew she was a dancer when I taught her "I'm a Little Teapot". The way she pops her hip when she does the "handle" action and the way her jazzy little hand shoots out in the air when she does the "spout" action told me that yes, this girl is a dancer (and probably a jazz dancer like her Mom!). Put her in class! 

Practicing a bun. We usually let her curls do their wild thing. Can't get away with that for ballet class!

So, she joined my tiny tots class for 2 and 3-year-olds at Northern California Dance Conservatory (NCDC). I don't know how long this will last. Part of me hopes forever, and part of me - who knows all the not so fun stuff about dance - wouldn't mind getting caught up in different hobbies or sports or passions. But, she loves to dance, and I love to dance, and I'm going to love sharing that passion with her as long as she wants it to be that way.

She wouldn't stop staring at herself in the mirror long enough to smile for me ;).

The new C'est La Vie collection by Pink Paislee was perfect for documenting this incredibly special moment in her - who am I kidding? - our lives. You can read more about the gorgeous products in the line and my process on the Pink Paislee blog today. 

I've also got tips in the post for what you don't want to miss when documenting dance class milestones like this.

I LOVE the mirror stickers and the gold glittered cork stickers and the ephemera and...all of it, really. It's a great collection for dance layouts and much, much more.

Thank you for stopping by today! Tessa

Pinch Me - Pink Paislee

Seriously. Pinch me. Wednesday's news followed by this amazing opportunity again....



I'm so excited! I get to work with very talented people, and I get to work with gorgeous product. Did you see the new releases? First of all, I'm thrilled that Paige Evans is creating lines for Pink Paislee:

She is so cute, and super sweet, and I just LOVE her Fancy Free line. Is Spring here yet? I want to play!



Second, Ces't La Vie! If you know me, you know I have a thing for black and white stripes and florals. It's probably more obsession than "thing", but I own it. I'm playing with this amazing product now and having the time of my life :).

Check out the announcement on the Pink Paislee blog here. You can read a little bit about each of us there, too.

Thanks for stopping by, and all the kind words this week. I felt the love :). Have a good one! Tessa

Christmas Storybook Countdown + TIPS - Pink Paislee

Hello December! Tonight is the beginning of one of our favorite traditions - the storybook countdown to Christmas. For the past few years we have enjoyed reading a Christmas-themed book every night in December leading up to Christmas Day.

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of Precocious Paper. I do receive financial compensation and products from American Crafts to develop certain blog posts, but all of the ideas and opinions are my own.

This is our first Christmas in our new home, and with the pretty gray walls, my old Christmas decor (mostly gold) wasn't going to work. Inspired by the current buffalo check trend, we are now going modern woodsy in red, black, gray, natural green elements and metallic silver. Deer and my beloved birds are a big motif, too. Anyway, since I'm taking some time to pull together all those elements, I thought a great place to make a quick, big impact with the new design was in our storybook countdown. Twenty-four wrapped books offer a lot of surface area to bring in patterns and colors, so I had fun shopping for a variety of wrapping papers and found several I loved. The sources are mentioned below each close-up.

white stripes (wedding) wrapping paper - Walmart

Yuletide metallic number, sequins, acetate tag

My silver and gold countdown numbers from last year weren't going to work, so I immediately turned to Pink Paislee's Yuletide collection. First of all, the metallic red numbers are GORGEOUS! I knew they would be the perfect centerpiece for my tags.

buffalo check wrapping paper - Target

Yuletide metallic number, envelope

plaid wrapping paper - Michaels

Yuletide metallic number, 3x4 card (patterned paper), and puffy stickers

Yuletide easily coordinates with my new color palette, and the embellishments were a ton of fun to mix and match.

modern plaid wrapping paper - Target Dollar Spot

Yuletide metallic number, gold foil label, sentiment sticker

Have you done this kind of countdown before? I've learned a few things over the years that I'm happy to share:

1. Time management. Before wrapping the books and then randomly assigning numbers, make a list of titles and estimate how long it might take to read them aloud. Look at your calendar and purposefully assign dates to books based on how much time you will have that day to read. You'll be much more successful in actually reading every day, and you won't be stressed out trying to read a long story after a busy night.

2. Borrow books from the library. If your collection is lacking, borrow books from the library. Be careful wrapping them, and pay attention to due dates. Perhaps include library books in the beginning of your countdown so they can be returned before Christmas break.

black/chevron reversible wrapping paper - Walmart

Yuletide letters, 3x4 card (patterned paper), Atlas silver Thickers

3. Include treats or quiet activities with the books. Sometimes the kids need an incentive to listen quietly, and treats do the trick ;). Sometimes the really good stories are long, and having coloring pages to quietly work on can keep hands busy while ears are open. If you're willing to put forth a little more effort, coordinate the treats/activities to the stories. For example, we read one book about a lump of coal. In that package I include chocolate candies that are wrapped in black foil to look like coal.

4. Include books for every level of reader in your home. Having the kids read is one of my favorite parts of this tradition. To make it work for everyone, include books that are the kids' levels. For example, there are a few easy readers in our countdown for my first grader.

5. Want to purchase inexpensive books for your countdown? Try Thriftbooks.com. I bought at least a dozen new stories at this site last year and was very happy with them. I'm not an affiliate, just a happy customer. Used bookstores are great, too!

silver polka dot wrapping paper - Hobby Lobby

6. Provide a crate or large basket for unwrapped books to remain throughout the season. Your family will probably want to read some of the stories again, plus the Christmas books make great decorations.

I'm excited to read tonight with my family! Which reminds me, I need to get some cozy blankets and pillows ready. Oh - and the camera! I need a photo of us reading for the December mini album I'm making. Have you seen Pink Paislee's countdown book? So cute! I'll be sharing my December pages here on the Pink Paislee blog throughout the month. Thanks for visiting and have a great day! Tessa

Love Today - Pink Paislee + Video

Hello, November! My first project share this month is on the Pink Paislee blog today. Using the Memorandum collection, I put together this layout, as well as a process video.

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of Precocious Paper. I do receive financial compensation and products from American Crafts to develop certain blog posts, but all of the ideas and opinions are my own.

I loved bringing the collection's bright colors together. You know my favorite color palette is red, yellow and aqua, so I had a lot of fun making this.

You can see the video on my YouTube channel here.

On a side note, if you'd like to follow along with my Attitude of Gratitude project this year, I'm using mainly Instagram to document my daily thoughts and you can find me on IG here. I love this format because it combines pictures and words, which is great for my Grateful Memorydex Spinner.

I'll share how my family is contributing to the spinner soon, and I'll follow up with a video of the completed project in December. I'm going to be posting weekly round-ups of my photos and thoughts here on the blog. I'll be sharing as I go on Facebook, too.

Do you love November as much as I do? Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa