I Love It All

August 30, 2016

instagram blog hop | 30 days of lists

As we speak, ahem, there's an Instagram blog hop with a bunch of other list nerds like me.

Hop on over now to enter the giveaway, there are two seats to the September class for you and a friend as well as the added bonus of $5 shop credit from I Love It All for both of you. Have fun browsing the lists of the other participants and feel free to join along in the hop by uploading your own list and tagging it with #30lists.

Like lists and want more info about #30lists?

Find more mixed media journals and mini books like the one you see above.

August 29, 2016

things i love about you

Things that I love about you, let me count the ways. I'm a firm believer in letting the people we love know just how special they are to us.

I have really been a fan of the smaller sized notebooks and journals in the last few months. There's just something about them that seems so approachable and makes me want to dig in my stash of goodies and decorate a few pages.

It's Gordon's birthday in a few weeks and this is what I made for him.

...a new mini journal called Things I Love About You. And it sort of comes at the right time, too, as Gordon's 45th birthday is in a few weeks. Don't you love when a plan {you didn't even know you had} comes together?

I've already embellished and finished a few pages. I just gathered a handful of journaling cards and, because I loved it so much the last few times I've done it, the girls' watercolor set.

The page tab comes in the add-on embellishment kit. These pages are 28 lb. ultra smooth writing paper and because of that, I like to use the Sharpie Fine pen. You can see a bit of shadowing on the reverse side of the paper, but not at all like a permanent Sharpie. And there's not smudging at all, like there would be if you used a gel pen.

Here's how you can incorporate some hidden journaling.

Go ahead, steal the King of Hearts from that old deck of cards in the kitchen junk drawer. I just attached it with a bit of washi tape hoping he'll know to lift it up to see my message full of love.

The blue shipping tag comes with the add-on kit, but you can also find more here and here. Find glassine, kraft and cotton muslin bags in lots of sizes.

After Gordon's birthday, I'll share more to show you how you can take a blank notebook and make it the cutest thing ever...and full of love.

New Product Introduction

The newest size notebook {seen above} for the shop came about when a customer asked if I could create the travelers notebook Gratitude Journal in the A6 size. Of course! In the mock-up, I had some extra room on the page and tried to think of something to fit the size so that I wouldn't waste the rest of the page when I printed and trimmed and that's how I came up with the Things I Love About You journal.

Comment to Win - Giveaway Now Closed

I'm giving away one of these cute little journals and I'll even include the add-on embellishment kit to get you started in your creative process.

Leave a comment on this blog post sharing one thing you love or are grateful for.
Earn another entry by Pinning this link on Pinterest or this Gratitude Journal link and leaving a comment on this blog post with the link to your Pin.
Want another chance? Follow along with me on my new business page on Instagram. Leave a link here with your IG user name so I know who you are.

Giveaway Closes on Wednesday, August 31st

The Winner Is Commenter #3
Susan Siegismund, please contact me!

Related Products

10 Things I Love About You | Because I Love You | Alphabet of Our Love

August 28, 2016

don't let a bad day...

Enjoy more Sunday Photos

August 21, 2016

new beginnings

Enjoy more Sunday Photos

Thanks for stopping in!

August 16, 2016

from where i stand

On the first day of August, I saw that Lisa {remember the 52Photos project?} posted a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #fromwhereistandaugust16. I snapped a pic of where I was standing and posted it.

THE MINI ALBUM

I just had to have one of those gold mini albums that was all the rage on social media probably a year ago. They're still not popular, but you know, it was a thing and I decided I wanted it. So I bought it. And then it sat there on my shelf, mocking me, staring at me, because I did nothing with it.

And it was this album I remembered having and knew that I should continue taking a photo each day in August, from where I was standing, and make a mini album. So I am.

THE PLAN

I will print all my photos in black and white. I didn't use the same filter on each of them, but they're all black and white. I'm not sure how I feel about the lack of color now that I've done it, but I still have the originals in color on my computer, so there's that.
I trimmed some gold polka dot vellum from my stash into 4x4 squares.
And pulled out some chipboard embellishments left over from my days on the My Mind's Eye Design Team.
Then I searched for some design goodies from the shop.
The plan is to include the stories in the mini album, probably in the back. I'll have to add the date to each photo, maybe with a date stamp, so that the photos and stories coincide.

THE PAGES

Here are a few pages, semi-embellished while I figure out the plan. I'm just really happy to be creating and using some of my pretty papers and embellishments.

If you're a fan of paper doilies and embellishing mini album pages, layouts and gift bags you can find some in the Embellishment Kit Collections.

JOIN THE FUN

I post my #fromwheremonikastands photos each day on Instagram {I'm @iloveitallshop and @monikawright_iloveitall} and tell a little story about the capture.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Registration for the September #30lists challenge is open. To join the fun and find out more information, you can register here.

DISCLAIMER | I am an affiliate of the 30 Days of Lists class and will earn a small fee if you use any of my links to purchase the class. As you can see by the number of times I've taken classes, I believe in this adventure and think you will enjoy it, too.

August 12, 2016

what do I do with this blank page?

So you bought a mini album. Your happy mail arrives, you gingerly open the envelope so as not to disturb anything, you flip through the pages and check out the goodies in the embellishment pack and you think to yourself, "Oh gosh, it's just so cute! Now what do I do with these blank pages?"

That's when you realize that you really don't know what you're going to do with this cute collection of papers and ephemera. And you feel guilty.

Well, don't!

Let me help you let go of your creative block and get you on track to designing your first page.

THE MINI BOOK

Let's say this is the journal you purchased.

I've been using this same journal for a hodge podge collection of Instagram challenges having to do with lettering, quotes and bible journaling. None of them really have anything to do with one another, but I just wanted to use this journal for something, so I did.

THE PAGES

A crafty friend sent me a happy mail package that had this paper washi tape from Simple Stories. I added some random strips to the backside of a patterned one-sided yardstick to add some color.

When dealing with a busy patterned page, it's nice to add something that brings all the colors together and also serves as a base for your journaling. Here, I've added a yellow shipping tag for a challenge to use the word strength. I've been trying to learn more about the bible recently so I chose a verse.

This time, the blue shipping tag comes as part of the album design. I practiced some hand lettering with a Flair pen and a bible verse.

This quote was journaled on a Project Life card.

I used a Sharpie marker for the verse, hoping that it would hold up well to being bold enough on this patterned background. It works. I used a fine line gel pen to add a border and the verse.

Another blank page, but this time I just journaled. No page decorations or embellishments.

More hand lettering practice, this time on a kraft bag, with another bible verse. I adore adding bags to mini albums so you can tuck photos inside, private journaling, or souvenirs from your travels. I even made a kraft bag mini album one time.

Sorry for the language on this one. The Project Life card is attached with more paper washi tape.

Can you tell I like quotes? And books. This is the opening page of the mini book and how fitting that it contains a quote on books.

Pick up a set or two of these library book check out cards, you'll be glad you did.

And there's nothing wrong with using up some letter stickers. I love the patterned paper, but am not really all that happy with my lettering. They can't all be awesome, right?

I had been seeing so many Instagrammers pulling out their watercolor sets, so I snagged the girls' set and had fun. I love the watercolor effect, I love the lettering but I don't love that when I dabbed a bit more watercolor on my page, it bled. That's a newbie mistake...you learn something new every day.

I used a stencil from the Target Dollar Spot and tried to create an ombre effect with my choice of colors. I am really happy with how this page evolved.

THE QUESTION

After seeing these sample pages, do you feel better about your decision to order that mini book now? If you feel inspired to create some pages in any mini book, not specifically one from I Love It All, leave a link to your blog post, Facebook share or Instagram pic...I'd love to drop in and see what you've made.

MORE INSPIRATION

Mini Books and Journals

Travelers Notebooks

Crafting Supplies

Embellishment Kits

August 11, 2016

thankful thursday

When I posted this photo, I was thinking of two specific people. I found the quote quite by accident but it spoke to my heart.

When I think of that same photo today, I realize that I shouldn't have been pointing a finger at anyone but myself. They don't know that I was pointing a finger at them, or maybe they do...who knows, but I know. We all deal with the curveballs life throws at us differently. I don't feel that my way is the best way, or the only way, or the right way, and I shouldn't expect any one else to feel that way either.

Today, I am thankful for time to reflect. For me. For them. For us all.

DOCUMENT YOUR THANKFUL THOUGHTS

I document my thankfulness in my Gratitude Journal on a semi-regular basis. You heard me. Sure, I miss days and you might, too. And I have learned not to let it get in my way.

Do you journal on a daily basis?

August 10, 2016

30 days of lists registration

It seems that in today's social media crazy world, there's a challenge for everything. Before I was even aware that a "challenge" was a thing, a very popular thing, I participated in the 30 Days of Lists class. For me, they were the first...and now I'm on my 11th class. Yep, I love lists.

Good news...registration for the September class opens today.

WHAT I'M USING
I'm using this mini album, which is based on my very first #30lists journal. Sure, there are hundreds of ways to list, but after the first two or three, I just decided to keep on with the same basic design and change up the inside pages here and there.

PREPPING MY PAGES
While I had the time one afternoon, I pulled out my Amy Tangerine stitching kit to add a Manila Shipping Tag from this kit collection {also in Sets here}. And I used that color thread because it was already in the needle ready to go.

The journaling spot I added came in the embellishment pack of this mini book {each mini has different journaling cards} which I attached to the page with a stick pin. On the back side of the page, where the stick pin is, I threaded through some washi tape and trimmed it into a pennant shape.

Using a Blue Shipping Tag to add my journaling, I added the date with some stickers.

OTHER LISTING OPTIONS

Since beginning my mini book journey, I've also begun using a Midori notebook. Of course being the crafty mama I am, you know I was going to try to make my own inserts. And so it began...making travelers notebook inserts for fans of a more simplistic approach to memory keeping and all things list challenge related.

Looking for something different than what I've shown here? Here are more Midori notebook insert choices. And find more journals and mini books, too.

THE CLASS
I so enjoy the #3olists challenges and think you will, too. You can create your own journal, buy a journal from my shop, or just post your lists on Facebook or Instagram. There are no rules, just fun!

DISCLAIMER | I am an affiliate of the 30 Days of Lists class and will earn a small fee if you use any of my links to purchase the class. As you can see by the number of times I've taken classes, I believe in this adventure and think you will enjoy it, too.

Similar #30Lists mini books are here.
Read more of my 30 Days of Lists posts, including past class lists I've taken.

Find my List Love board on Pinterest.

August 9, 2016

i love it all on instagram

Did you know that you can now follow I Love It All on Instagram?

All right, you're probably saying that you already follow me, but I recently began an account to share more shop-related photos and behind the scenes photos and stories. Not that you need one more account to follow on social media, but I would love if you do decide to follow me there.

Be sure to leave a comment on Instagram and I'll DM you a coupon code as a thank you. And if you already follow me, DM me anyway and I'll still send you a coupon code.

August 8, 2016

how i decorated my 30 lists journal cover

The mini album I'm using for the September 30 Days of Lists challenge comes with a washi tape embellished cover and lots of goodies to embellish your pages.

BEFORE

So, if you're not the kind of journaler to embellish your lists, this mini book cover will be perfect just the way it is. I like it. A lot.

DURING

I like embellishing my layouts and pages with texture and layers. I added a foam dot to the back of the #30lists die cut shape {you'll get it and the List Nerd die cuts with your mini book}.

Then I added it to a metal rimmed tag.

And then attached the metal rimmed tag to the cover with some washi tape.

BONUS

I embellished a Project Life journaling card, which I tucked inside the folded in half kraft bag, by adding a tab. I used a date stamper and where the date was, I used a small heart punch to remove the date. Because the B side of this paper had a pattern, it was distracting to see it through the heart shape. I decided to add a turquoise scrap. And I like it much better that way.