Brave - Bella Blvd.

Hello, hello! I'm sharing this colorful layout on the Bella Blvd. blog today and thought it would be nice to share the story behind it here.

A few months ago Addie went to her first professional audition. Four years old and she was auditioning for a part in a Broadway show! This would be the first time she would go into a studio without her mama as the teacher. I was so nervous for her!

We did a little photo shoot so that we had a decent headshot. There was no time to book a photographer for a professional headshot, and really, this isn't something we do often (like, not at all) and I hoped my photography skills would be good enough. I got some amazing pictures -- this girl is a hoot to photograph! So many looks! The one on this layout is one of my favorites.

I remember wondering what she was thinking. Was she nervous about the audition? Scared? As it turns out, yes, but she was also BRAVE! I was so proud of my little girl! She was the fourth one to go in, and parents were not allowed. She went into the next room, did her thing, then came back grinning. I was so proud of her!

She didn't end up getting the part, and that was quite the life lesson to learn at four years old, but now I have an experience to remind her of when she's having a hard time. I can say, "Remember that audition? You were so brave! You can do hard things!"

For all the scrapbooking details, see the Bella Blvd. blog here.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! Tessa

Elle's Studio January Kit Reveal

Hello, everyone! The January kit, which I gave you a sneak peek of yesterday, is now available!

Having worked with a few of these kits now, I can honestly say they are an incredible value. I can make several layouts with these little packets of paper goodness, plus have leftovers for cards, my planner, and extra things like gift tags. Here are a couple more projects that I made this month with the kit and some fabulous add-ons:

Supplies: January Kit, Olivia Stamp (title), Sequins (Love Mix), Acrylic Frosted Hearts.

This girl cracks me up. She's such a jazz dancer. Not a ballerina at all. The bright colors in the January kit reminded me of these photos and they were a match made in heaven!

But the kit can definitely do something more monotone and manly, also:

Supplies: January Kit, All My Heart Stamps, Sequins (Love Mix), Large Acrylic Stars.

I pulled the blacks, grays, and yellows from the January kit for this one. I pulled out my typewriter and combined typed journaling with stamped words. I love the way it turned out and will probably use this technique again soon.

I love the large acrylic stars that are new in the shop. Such a great embellishment for guy pages!

If you're interested in picking up the kit, or even subscribing (guaranteed a kit every month for the launch price of $9.99 + free shipping on things you add to your cart on the 10th), go here. There is so much to love that's new in the shop right now. Be sure to check it out :).

What's your favorite part of the reveal today? Thanks for stopping by! 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

Mom & Addie - Scrapbook Circle

Next to my laptop is the layout I'm sharing today, and I just noticed the arrows. One points across, moving on. Two more point downward, focusing attention on the important parts of the page:

What's that phrase about life imitating art? I'm having one of those weeks with arrows pointing in all directions. No corner of my life has been left untouched by both blessings and challenges in the past few days. While feeling especially stressed out yesterday, I received news that my grandpa had passed away. In the chaos I paused, prayed for my family, and regrouped my thoughts. Life on this earth comes to an end. Time - my one little word - is precious. I can choose to spend my time grumbling about needing a new roof and cleaning up the leak in my kitchen, or I can be grateful for my house, for the rain we so desperately need, and for the people helping us. I can spend time stressing out over circumstances beyond my control at work, or I can channel that energy into positive thoughts and actions. Life is going to be a combination of ups and downs and sideways no matter what I do, so I choose to spend my time wisely.

Today, that means sharing this bright and happy layout. It's inspired by the January Trend Challenge at Scrapbook Circle, which you can find (and play along with!) here.

The challenge is to create a page with a "ransom note" style title or sub-title. I used the Seven Paper washi tape included in the Fresh Start kit:

I shared one of these photos on instagram and told the story behind it already, but this was the morning I left for CHA a couple weeks ago. After we were dressed, I noticed that we were both wearing charcoal gray shirts that said "home". I swear I don't dress us like twins on purpose! But it was a fun mother-daughter moment to capture :).

Hug your loved ones. Spend time doing something good for your soul today. And be sure to stop by Scrapbook Circle :). Have a good one! Tessa

Let's Get Together - Scrapbook Circle

Have you seen the July kit - You are My Favorite - at Scrapbook Circle? Oh my goodness, I love it! It's filled with Crate Paper, American Crafts, Pink Paislee.... It's awesome. I had the chance to create a layout for the One Item Wonder feature on the Scrapbook Circle blog all about the exclusive stencil included in the kit:

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

I used the stencil to add some much-needed blue to my page. I simply traced the stencil and filled the space with a waterbrush and Distress Ink. You can read more here.

I used papers from the 6x6 Dear Lizzy Fine and Dandy paper pad. You can find it - and the Maggie Holmes title - in the add-on here. That darling wood veneer bow is Maggie Holmes, too. I need a whole sheet of bows! You can find it in this add-on here.

Visit Scrapbook Circle here, and keep up with them here and here. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy your day :). Tessa

Sunshine - Pretty Little Studio + News

Hello! I hope your 4th of July weekend was wonderful! I enjoyed it. I will never EVER get tired of parades, barbecue and fireworks :). And, we survived the scorching hot sun, so that was a bonus.

Speaking of sun, my little sunshine Adlyn is the subject of my latest layout for Pretty Little Studio. Most of my PLS stash is in storage until we close on our house, but I do have the amazing Treasure Island collection to work with! I created this page for the July sketch challenge.

You can see more on the PLS blog here, but let me point out some of my favorite things. The title - Melissa has several acetate title pieces available in the shop now. I probably would have stapled it on, except my Tiny Attacher is in storage. I can't believe I didn't leave it out, but washi tape came to my rescue :).

The flair - I think flair is something I will use in my scrapbooking forever. I just love PLS flair because the packages are a mix of words and vintage images. I thought this "happy" flair was a great subtitle.

Die-cuts - I love PLS die-cuts. I got the package of small die-cuts from the Treasure Island line and it was hard to choose just one for this little cluster.

I have some fun PLS news to share today, too! I will be designing for Pretty Little Studio for another term! I am VERY excited. I just adore Pretty Little Studio and feel honored to have this opportunity continue. Check out the talented ladies I get to design with:

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a great week! Tessa

Scrapbook Expo - The Weekly Scrapper Spotlight

Hello! I had the wonderful opportunity this week of being featured on Scrapbook Expo's The Weekly Scrapper blog. Along with some recent favorites, I also shared this page created just for the post:

I used a combination of Crate Paper (patterned paper, die-cuts), Heidi Swapp (masks, mist, die for the title), and DCWV (cardstock, cork and metallic papers for title and flower).

I took this photo just a couple of weeks ago after my grandfather's funeral. We had just finished the luncheon afterwards and everyone was exhausted and ready to go home. Adlyn, though, wanted to play - she sees a pretty lawn and must step on every single blade of grass. Watching her, I experienced a moment of absolute clarity - although the events of the day were heavy and sad, happiness could still be found. The pure bliss Addie exuded running around the church grounds was a sweet reminder to have perspective. An eternal perspective. Families are forever. We will see Grandpa again, whole and happy.

I don't collect a lot of metal dies, mainly because I lean on my Silhouette Cameo, but when I saw the Maggie Holmes flower die that is so popular right now, I had to have it. It works beautifully with DCWV papers. The leaves were cut from double-sided cardstock, making cutting leaves in two shades of teal super easy! The cork cut like butter, and the adhesive backing made putting the flower together and adding it to my page a breeze. The gold metallic paper cut easily, too, with both the Maggie Holmes dies and the Heidi Swapp "bliss" die. I love having all these DCWV papers on hand!

Would you like to know which favorite layouts I shared on The Weekly Scrapper? You might recognize one or two! Check the post out here. Thanks to Paige Evans for the opportunity!

Thanks for stopping by today! Tessa

Cutie Pie - Pretty Little Studio

Hello! Today I'm sharing a layout that I made earlier this month for Pretty Little Studio's May sketch. Did you know that if you play along, you could win a $10 gift certificate to the Pretty Little Studio shop? You have until the end of the month to join in. Details can be found here. I got to play along this month, and this is my take:

I've been on an 8.5x11 kick lately, and I thought the sketch was a great candidate for re-sizing. All of the papers and embellishments are from the You and Me collection.

I love this photo of Addie and me. Like the journaling says, I don't remember where or exactly when we took this photo, but I love how it captures her eyes and my kiss to her chubby little elbow.

I love the mix of teal, pink and yellow in this collection. I especially love the yellow - it's deep, rich, and not orange at all. I was excited to discover that I had the perfect yellow watercolor paint (Twinkling H2O's) to use for my splatters. And yes, excited is the right word because matching the color yellow can be so hard!

If you'd like to see my post on the Pretty Little Studio blog, you can find it here. Thanks for stopping by today! Next week I'll be sharing my storage system for my Pretty Little Studio stash. If you have a small space like me, you'll definitely want to check it out :).

Have a great day! Tessa

Scrapbook Circle Anniversary Blog Hop

Hello! Welcome to my stop on the Scrapbook Circle Anniversary Blog Hop! If you have just happened upon this post and would like to join us from the start, click here. If you just arrived from the lovely Diana Fisher's blog, you are in the right place :).

I am excited to be celebrating Scrapbook Circle's 9th anniversary with the creative team. We've all been having a ton of fun with the May kit, "Hello Sunshine." I decided that since we are celebrating a birthday of sorts, I would create a birthday page just for this special occasion:

I started with patterned papers from the main kit for my background. I love this great ledger by Pink Paislee and I just can't get enough of the black and white plus sign paper by Bella Blvd.Next I pulled a few sheets from the Amy Tangerine Rise & Shine 6x6 paper pad from the "Hello Love" add-on. I hand-lettered then hand-cut my title. I love that trend right now and will probably do it again soon!

My favorite part of the layout has to be the "balloons". When we were at CHA this past January, these tags were one of my very favorite embellishments. I'm so glad Lisa added them to a kit! I think they make darling balloons :). You can find them in the "Sweet Day" add-on.

I used foam squares to pop up my photo and a few of the balloons. I created the confetti look with three of my trusty Heidi Swapp mists.

Now on to the hop details:

* Each comment left on a creative team member's blog is one entry into a random drawing for one of FIVE May kits - so leave a comment below!

* The hop runs through midnight PST on the 21st.

* Winners will be announced on the Scrapbook Circle blog on the 22nd.

The next (and last!) stop on the hop is Scrapbook Circle's founder herself, the amazing Lisa Andrews! I hope you enjoyed your time here and that you have found inspiration throughout the hop. Be sure to follow Scrapbook Circle on Facebook here, and IG here.

Have a wonderful day! Tessa

I Love this Hair

I just realized that you'll see another layout for Chickaniddy Crafts on my blog next month with Addie wearing this same sweatshirt. I swear, she has more than one shirt! And I guess it just really coordinates with Chickaniddy ;). Anyway, did you see this one on their blog Monday?

I really enjoyed making the big, colorful title. For my process, be sure to see my post over there.

Seriously, how cute are these pigtails?! They don't always stand up like this. Sometimes they fall out around the elastic perfectly so that they look like little messy buns.

I'm having so much fun being a mama to a girl :). Well, stay tuned for that other pink sweatshirt layout, haha! Thanks for stopping by! Tessa