tara elias

Sketches with Color Challenge

taraelias — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:02 +0000

Happy 15th of the month! Every 1st and 15th of the month marks a new sketch challenge over at the Sketches with Color Challenge Blog. Here’s the May 15th Challenge!

I chose Monaco Blue, Lemon Zest and Emerald as my three colors, and here is what I came up with.

Hope you join in on the challenge!

TFL

Yes, I am still talking about PL.

taraelias — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:11:37 +0000

Hey guess what?! I got an email saying my PL Sub is active for May. That’s a whole month earlier than I planned to start receiving my kit. I was SO happy to get that email! I mean, I had that plan in place and all, but NOW I’M GETTING MY KIT! Also, my friend Laura shared her Jade Edition with me last weekend, so I’ve got some serious goodies to work with. Here’s my cover page!

I started on Monday, and I am just really excited about this project. Here’s to documenting the good life!

Sketches with Color – May 1st Challenge!

taraelias — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:42:49 +0000

Morning everyone!

I am up with the May 1st Sketches with Color challenge. Here’s the sketch and the color palette:

And here’s my take:

To celebrate my first layout with Sketches with Color, I have a little giveaway complete the challenge and link up your work here by Wednesday, May 15th and I’ll draw a winner! Internationals welcome.

TFL!

Exciting News!

taraelias — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:00:25 +0000

I am elated, thrilled and so excited to announce today that I have accepted a Design Team position with the Sketches with Color Blog! This will be my first DT experience. I’ve never had assignments or deadlines before with scrapbooking and to be honest? I’m really looking forward to that. Because I am a champion procrastinator. And I’m trying to work on that.

So come visit us on over at Sketches with Color and play along with the challenges! They are posted on the 1st and 15th of every month, and at that time, you will get to see how each of the DT members took on the sketch and color palette.

You know what else I’m looking forward to with this new position? Going back into my stash and really putting something together. For the better part of two years, I have been a serious kit scrapper. And I will continue to be. But I am really looking forward to the challenge of actually digging into that stash of paper (meticulously divided by manufacturer and then collection, of course) and really giving those ~~things I’m hoarding~~ goodies a workout

Here’s the layout I submitted for the call

All kinds of goodies going on here… Glitz, Maggie Holmes, AT rub-ons (thank you, Amy, for bringing sexy back in the form of rub-ons). Did I mention Glitz? Obsessed with their giant rhinestones right now, I gotta say.

Have a great day!

I’m doing it.

taraelias — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:25:51 +0000

ETA: WINNER UPDATE! Sorry for the delay in posting a winner, it’s been a busy week. The winner of the stamp is MariClaudi. I will be contacting you for shipment details!

Project Life, that is. The thing that I never had any interest in doing, after taking on Project 365 a couple of years ago. I’m doing it, and I’m excited!

Here’s my plan of action. I received an email from Studio Calico last week as to the status of my place on the waiting list. It seems that I will get my first kit no later than June. This actually works quite well for me. As mentioned in my post the other day, I am taking Lexi’s “This is Me” class in April, and well, I just know myself. Taking the class, and starting up PL in the same month? Not a recipe for success. For that reason, I was actually hoping I would start getting my kits in May. So, the email I received last week coincided well with the Project Life Grab Bags that were recently added to the shop I hummed and hawwed about paying shipping (I was pretty sure they wouldn’t stick around until Reveal Day), but realized this would be the perfect way I could start PL when I wanted to. June seems slightly too far away, and I don’t want to lose momentum.

Studio Calico was cool enough to send me a little appetizer for being a waitlister (their words, not mine .

I already have this little gem, so I thought it would be nice to RAK this stamp to a good home. Leave me a comment and I will randomly pick a winner on Monday morning! And yes, I will ship international!

One last thing – I am selling my FujiFilm MP-300 Printer. Asking $200, which includes shipping, the printer itself, the wall charger and four packs of film. Each film pack includes 20 prints. It works perfectly and has only been used a couple of times, I just never use my DSLR or point and shoot anymore! Shoot me a message if you’re interested. – ETA: SOLD

Happy Easter Weekend!

- T

I Can and I Will

taraelias — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:00:20 +0000

Spent some time last week with the Studio Calico Neverland Kit (March). For you subbers out there, ever feel like the kits you love the most, stump you the most? And the kits you feel “meh” about, you end up rocking? That happens to me all the time. I love this kit. Like, more than I’ve loved a lot of kits. But I’ve only managed to squeak out one layout with it (not to mention the two add-ons I also purchased). It happened to me with Daydream Believer, too. Loved it. Couldn’t work with it. I think it’s the fear of cutting into something you love so much, particularily when you feel each item compliments the other so well. I will say, I loved the inclusion of mists and masks in this kit. Talk about mixing it up! It was the sole reason I was extra motivated to open that box up and get right to work. That’s exactly what I want in a kit club! I understand it can’t happen that way every month, but March was extra special for that reason. Here’s the one layout I popped out:

What will I do with the rest? Well, hopefully more layouts. I also have put it aside to use in the “This is Me” class with Lexi Bridges I will be starting on April 1st, in addition to the bonus class kit. I’ve started to really lean away from having a huge stash of things in my craft room, and keep only what’s current and what I truly love. Or what I’m hoarding. Let’s be honest, I’m never giving away those old Love, Elsie or Heidi Swapp products.

Last weekend, my Aunt, Cousin and I had a bit of a Pinterest Craft Party Using this pin as our inspo, we all created something that suited our personalities perfectly. I like to think of that night as more of the “practice night”, because I tend to get things done better on the second try, rather than the first. I liked what I made the first night, but once I started brainstorming, I came up with something I really loved. It’s meant for my craft room, and will serve to remind me of the things I can and will accomplish

Can’t get enough of stripes. I need more of them in my life.

Happy Friday!

Lucky Me!

taraelias — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:56:41 +0000

I’ve been on one heck of a lucky streak lately. For starters, I just took a lovely vacation with my family to Banff National Park. We stayed just outside of the park in Canmore, Alberta, and got in lots of shopping, sightseeing and skiing (and for others, snowboarding)! Although I’ve been to Banff several times, there’s something about that mountain town that just seems to have a hold on me. I can never get enough, and my heart is practically bursting while I’m there. I traveled there with my Grams, my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins and we had the time of our life! So many laughs, amazing time spent together and LOTS of eating. We used to travel there a lot when I was little, so it brought back so many happy memories for me . So grateful to have been able to take a trip with them! Here’s some pics that I instagrammed.

The view from our hotel – breathtaking, right?

Literally took this while on my ski’s – at Sunshine Village Mountain Resort

Riding up the Gondola at Lake Louise Ski Resort

View from the Upper Hot Springs on Sulpher Mountain in Banff

And some other shots:

Grams at the Lake Louise Lodge, waiting for the ski and snowboarders to come down for lunch!

The Snow Family! (You may think I am referring to the snow on the ground, but really that is their last name)

How much of a gem is this photo of Jennifer (my Aunt)? Just up there on the mountain, right in the middle of the elements. Might be my fave photo of the trip!

The Australian dude who found Jennifer’s iPhone (that she left on the gondola) at Lake Louise – phew! When she went to pick the phone back up, he had taken a picture of himself

The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. An episode of the Bachelor was just filmed there, and as a result, the hotel now has a “Bachelor” Romance Package.

Also worked on this while I was there. I kept up with it regularily and now I just have to add pictures. I brought my Canon Selphy with me, but for some reason, I couldn’t connect it and my iPhone to the same wireless connection (this is not rocket science, people), so I was unable to add pictures as we went.

In other lucky news, I got an email from my friend Marcy Penner while I was away, and was excited to learn I had won a spot in Wilna’s Art Class over at 2Peas. Wilna is a huge fave of mine, and after seeing her sneaks and what some of my other online friends were making, I was already itching to sign up. Lucky me to win my spot! Thanks again, Marcy Can’t wait to get started.

In addition to that (no, this is not over), how lucky am I to have won an assortment of products from Maggie Holmes line with Crate Paper?? Pretty darn lucky if you ask me. That collaboration was my ultimate fave release from winter CHA. Seriously, I just want to put it on my desk and look at it, but not touch it. You get that, I know you do. But hoard I will not! I plan to make a mini album, using hers, of course, and all the little goodies she sent me. So grateful, thank you Maggie!

Back soon with some scrapbooking

More Bright Ideas

taraelias — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:05:47 +0000

I am loving this class ever so much. There was a challenge last week to be inspired by this ad, and it was accompanied by a sketch that featured an “across the page” type design.

I can’t get the pic of the ad to upload properly, so I’ll just post my take on it. I loved this picture of Shyan, and knew I wanted to feature it on a special layout.

Thanks for looking!

Bright Ideas

taraelias — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:59:59 +0000

I’m taking a class over at Studio Calico this month, entitled “Bright Ideas”. You know what I love about it? Two things. a) it’s challenge based and b) there is inspiration to use the challenges on things other than a scrapbook layout. I love it.

This particular challenge was to hand stitch a title onto your layout. I just so happened to be working on another “Lift the Layout Above You” challenge, and was horrified (yes, horrified) to realize I was out of a few key letters from my AT Journal Foam Thickers in Black. So, since I had the same pack of thickers in white, I simply replaced the missing letters with the white ones and started stitching around them to achieve the same font. It was time consuming, but definitely worth it. I had a lot of fun, and plan to hand stitch a lot of my titles in the future!

A few other things I’ve made for the class:

For the Stencilling Challenge

For the Map Challenge

There is a new challenge posted every week day and it’s been so fun to work on! I have a few other challenges done, and will try and post them in the next couple of days

xo!

She’s Back!

taraelias — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:00:02 +0000

I asked Johnny to take this picture yesterday, while he was spending the morning with Haley. She’s trying to turn her sleep schedule back around, but that 14 hour time difference is a killer. She had a great time in China, but is extremely happy to be back home.

and we are so happy to have her back <3

- xo