Chrysalis

I don't talk much about my pregnancy with my first born for many reasons.  I think as woman we sometimes struggle with how society tells us to feel and how our spirit really does.  Unlike many of my friends, I LOVED being pregnant.  Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed the changes in not only my body, but my views as to what is beautiful.  The fact that I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy(sans nausea), probably does influence my overall view, and I'm grateful for that.  It gave me a chance to see myself in a way I never had before.

I was able to express my vision beautifully with the Wings paperpack by Close to My Heart.  The title not only refers to my chrysalis into motherhood, but to a realization about myself.  With the how-to book Magic, an actual transformation takes place by pulling the butterfly and revealing the rest of the title.  If you look closely on the bottom left side, you'll see a great way to add texture to any page by pleating a piece of paper.  A little sponging here, a little crunching there, and it really draws the eyes. And don't you just love how the word "beautiful" came out?!  It was easy with Close to My Heart's new alpha stamp set Bohemian E1019.

Life is definitely more beautiful now that my son graces it.  The baby love I have for him has expanded my heart outside of my body.  I'm blessed to be able to spend my days with him and watch him grow and learn.  What's amazing though, is how much I've grown from having him and learned from loving him.

Using more papers from the Wings Workshop on the Go, and the stamp set that comes with it I recreated the layout above.  I spied it on our fabulous CTMH bulletin board; a place for consultant sisters to share artwork, ideas, and friendship.  I just had to use the classic clean look myself.  The pinwheel flowers were my own take on the design and I love how the Licorice Opague gems finish them off.  Don't forget you can use patterned papers as well as cardstock as accents.  The background is spritzed with our Spray Pen filled with Vineyard Berry Reinker and rubbing alcohol.  It's really a great technique to add a little something to your white-space.

These layouts were created for Ladies Night Out in February.  If you'd like to create layouts, catch up with friends, or just steal some guilt-free time for yourself, join us!  Call or email me for details and check out the tab at the top of the page labeled "Ladies Night Out".

You can order the supplies used in the layouts showcased above on my website 24/7, along with other great products from Close to My Heart.