MAGGIE HOLMES Photography and Scrapbooking Blog

30 Days of Me Class >> Last Chance to Register!!

Hi there and happy Friday!! How excited are you that it is the weekend!! I know I am!!

I wanted to give you a heads up that registration is closing soon for my 30 Days of Me Class at Studio Calico! The last day to sign up is this Sunday!! 

Class starts on Monday and I can't wait to share everything I have been creating with you!! It can definitely be hard and might feel out of the ordinary to make an entire album about YOU.... but I am here to tell you that you won't regret it and you will have lots of fun during the process as well!

During the 30 Days of Me class I will talk about WHY I feel it is so important to document YOU and not just your family and the things going on around you.... If you aren't already, it is past time to include YOU in the stories you document and this will help you get started!

Here are a few sneak peeks at some of the pages in my album...

You might notice from the images above that this is NOT an album full of selfies! So if you are uncomfortable being the subject in your pictures, that is definitely OK!! Even though we are covering a whole bunch of topics about YOU, it is suggested & encouraged to photograph those things in a variety of ways!

If you aren't already signed up, I hope you will join me!

>> Registration and Class Details <<

You can find all of the details about the class and register here on the 30 Days of Me Class Page.

You can also see the fun intro VIDEO that I created for this class here.

I can't wait to get started.... I will "see" you all in class on Monday!!

Happy Weekend!

xoxoxoxo 

DIY Patterned Gift Tags

Amanda has a great tutorial to share with us today >> how to create your own DIY gift tags!! It's another project that is quite simple and easy to do and yet, the results are just so stinkin' cute!! I want to go make a bunch of these now to have on hand for when I need them! Don't you find that you always need a gift tag at the last minute when you don't have time to create something? This way we will never be in a bind and our gifts will always be adorable!!

Hi Friends! As many of you know I love gift giving and creating pretty packaging. Although I love layering and using lots of fun packaging supplies, today I am excited to share with you a quick and easy way to turn a simple box into the perfect gift using your styleboard papers.

Let's make some DIY gift tags using our styleboard patterned paper for a fun and easy way to decorate our boxes. Using a manila tag as a pattern, I traced it onto the patterned paper with pencil and then cut them out. After all the tags were cut I used my hole punch to create a hole at the top of each tag. Finally, I used watercolors to paint a few sheets of reinforcement stickers to create a colored circle to go on top of my punched hole.

When using your watercolors, I found it worked best to use less water and more color. Make sure all your painted circles are completely dry before removing and sticking onto your tags. I just love all the different shades the water colors created.

Once I placed the watercolor stickers onto the tags I used my typewriter (if you don't have one, mini stamps work just as well) to create a few personalized sayings and then sewed them onto the tags. I also added some twine and looped it through the hole.

Now, let's add our tag to our box . Using a small piece of decorative tape I adhered the tag to the box. Finishing it off I added a satin bow. I love how simple yet super cute the box turned out! Sometimes less is more! 

>> Supplies Used <<

InLinkz.com

Happy Thursday!

xoxoxoxo

Stephanie's Process >> Start to Finish

Hi there! Stephanie has a beautiful layout for us today and she is also sharing her process of how she went about creating it from start to finish. I don't know about you, but I love to see and hear how other crafters/scrapbookers work. Do you start with the photos, the story, or the products you want to use? I am like Stephanie in that I always start with the photos. They guide everything from the papers and colors I select, to the story and journaling that I will tell. I simply can't do it any other way! After you read about her process, let us know in the comments how you approach creating a page! We would love to hear!

 

I always start a layout or project with my photos printed.  I've tried to start by building a page without  my photos, but I've found that I use the photo to guide my paper layers and embellishment choices.  

 

 

If the colors are softer and more neutral, I usually gravitate towards the softer, more subtle patterned papers.  For this layout, I wanted to play off of the calming nature of the photo and decided to use the woodgrain paper and light green striped paper as layers for my page.  The colors are soft and neutral and helped bring out the colors from my photo.

 

To add a bold statement to my page, I used the die cut ampersand from the Styleboard journaling card set and backed it with the "love this" text patterned paper.   It gives my page a "pop" without being too distracting from my photo and layers. 

 

 

A cluster of embellishments alongside the die cut card and some handwritten journaling were the finishing touches to my layout!

 

 

So...do your photos help design your page or do you start with your paper layers first?

 

>> Supplies Used <<

 

InLinkz.com

 

Happy Tuesday!

xoxoxoxo

Open Book Collection Giveaway Winner

Hello! First of all I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to each of you for sharing in my excitement over the new collection! I have enjoyed reading all of your comments and I sincerely appreciate all of the sweet words and support you have shared with me! I wouldn't be creating products without all of you out there buying them to use in your scrapbooks and other crafting projects... so I truly mean it when I say that your comments and support mean the world to me!!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.... really!!

I wish I could hug each of you in person,  but hope that you can feel my expressions of love and gratitude through my words!!

..............................................................

The winner of the Open Book Collection giveaway is....

Laura Turcotte said...

What is there NOT to love about this collection?? Seriously, this collection is over the top amazing!!

Congrats!! Please email me using the contact link at the top of my blog with your address and info to claim your prize!!

I will continue to share lots more projects and layouts using the new Open Book products and will give you a heads up when I see things becoming available in the stores!!

Happy Monday!!

xoxoxoxo

New Maggie Holmes Product Release >> Open Book!!

Introducing OPEN BOOK...

I have been giddy with excitement over this new collection and have been bursting at the seams to share it with all of you!! 

OPEN BOOK was inspired by and designed around my love for storytelling. As scrapbookers and memory keepers, that is what we are all about and I wanted to bring you a collection full of elements that will help you tell the story of your life in a beautiful way! As you capture and record your most treasured stories and memories, you will create an OPEN BOOK for your family and future generations to enjoy in the years to come!

 

This collection definitely stays true to my signature style but we changed some things up as well to make it fresh and new! You will find a more rich and saturated color palette with lots of black and white and the introduction of black and gold (which I am currently obsessed with). It is full of vintage finds, sweet colorful icons and pretty feminine touches as well. We've also added some fabulous new icons and unique new embellishments.

For example, I can't get enough of this new buildable flowers pack. It comes with so many gorgeous leaves and florals! The possibilities are endless.

What I love the most are all of the details >> gold foil accents, lots of embossing, shimmering glitter and pretty hand painted phrases. I hope you will enjoy telling your stories using these new products as much as I do!!

You are going to LOVE the embossed gold foil pieces in the ephemera pack!

And the vellum pack is stealing my heart as well. Mixing and layering things from the two sets together is my favorite!

I am thrilled with how these layered tags turned out.... ruffled and sewn crepe paper.... swoon!

One of the most popular "Maggie" embellishments has definitely been my fabric bows so we decided to bring them back in a new sparkly glitter version!!

You also asked for more craft dies and another embossing folder and I think you are going to LOVE these new sets!! The embossing folder creates the most detailed and beautiful floral pattern. You just have to see it in real life to get the full effect!

Here's a peek at the new rub ons, gold glitter phrase thickers, chipboard, frames and embossed gold foil stickers.

I just started creating with this collection and I am truly LOVING it! I don't know how it is possible but I love each new line more than the last. I am finding the products in this collection so easy to mix and match and am loving layering all of the pretty things together. All of these layouts were created using just a fraction of the products as I am still waiting on some of them to come in. I can't wait to keep going with the full collection but this shows you just how much you can do with these packs of ephemera, flowers, chipboard and vellum!!

You can see one of the gold and vellum specialty papers on this page and the black with gold foil polka dots!!! I die over both of them and you can expect to see me using them a LOT!!!

How fun is this mint green bullseye paper? Such a great build page to use as a background! 

You can see a bunch of the patterned papers on this layout. I love all of the contrast that the black & white patterns add to some of the softer ones. And I am obsessed with that green, yellow and pink floral!!

There's LOTS more to see in detail that I haven't shown here >> including all of the patterned paper, gold printed vellum specialty papers, doilies, stickers, ribbon tags, standouts, clips and a banner kit!!

To see EVERYTHING from the new OPEN BOOK collection, visit the Crate Paper blog today!! They are sharing the full images of each product so you can really look closely at what each one offers!!

>> GIVEAWAY <<

But before you go, I do have a GIVEAWAY!! I am giving away the new OPEN BOOK collection to one lucky winner!  To enter, leave a comment here on this blog post and I will be back to draw the winner at random on Monday August, 25th. Good luck!

ALSO >> My design team is sharing some fun images of the collection as well and each of them are doing a GIVEAWAY too!! This means that you will have 5 chances to win today!! To join in on the blog hop and enter their giveaways, visit each of their blogs, linked below.

Jessy

Amanda

Kim

Stephanie

Thanks for stopping by to see my new collection OPEN BOOK today!! Remember to enter the giveaways and then head over to the Crate Paper blog to see all of the products in detail!!

It's definitely a Happy Wednesday!!

xoxoxoxo

Going Bold with Black & White

Jessy has a bold layout for us today with lots of black and white! Just like her, I am loving the look of black and white more and more each day!! I love how her choice of background papers allow all of the light and bright colors to really pop! It's such a great use of contrast!!

These days, I really love these colors: black & white! In fact, I'm beginning to notice that I am slowly drawn to black and white more & more each time. Haha! 

I absolutely adore the black & white patterned papers that Maggie designed for her collections. Particularly, I really love the black & white diagonal stripe from the Flea Market collection and of course the famous black & white polka dots from the Styleboard collection. 

I wanted to create mostly black & white for my layout with a hint of pastel colors. So I chose to adhere half of the diagonal b&w stripe patterned paper onto a white cardstock. Then, I layered the rest of the patterned paper on top of each other. In between the papers, I added a chipboard frame, doily, vellum and some stickers. 

To give a personal touch to my layout, I painted those flowers with gelatos & cut them out. It was pretty fun & easy to paint. Give it a try the next time you create your layout!  Thank you for stopping by today! Xoxo Jessy

>> Supplies Used <<

InLinkz.com

Happy Tuesday!

xoxoxo

Maggie's Pinterest Picks

PAPER > DIY little decorative gift boxes by Melody Miller via sew mama sew

PHOTO > sweet & simple newborn photography via rolphoto.ca

LOVING > DIY folding chair redo by My Fabuless Life via whipperberry

HOME > setee made from vintage kilim rugs in Paige Morse's house via design sponge 

You can follow all of my pinterest boards here: Maggie Holmes Pinterest

Happy Monday!

xoxoxo

Using Up Your Scraps!!

I'm loving Stephanie's post today because she has a nice solution for using up your scraps! I find that I do this all the time too because I tend to save longer strips of leftover papers (as opposed to little pieces). Then it makes it super easy to grab all of those and make a fun background like she is showing us here! You can take this same concept and create lots of different looks with it!

 

Hi there!  Stephanie back with you today!

Do you find yourself hanging on to pretty scraps?  I don't really consider myself very much of a hoarder, but I do have a little problem throwing out scraps of beautiful papers.  Anything smaller than  two-inches square usually gets tossed, but strips of paper???  I just can't do it!!  Ha!

 

When I sat down to create this page, I had my photo and a stack of scraps.  The scraps were various sizes, so I trimmed a few down to 1-2 inches by 5-6 inches and then layered the strips down the center of my white background.  As you can see, I tried to vary between the bold, colorful papers and the softer, neutral papers.  The bold and neutrals compliment each other so well and I love to mix them amongst each other.

 

After I was happy with the placement of the papers, I gently adhered them to my background using a little adhesive right in the middle of each strip.  I didn't want them to be adhered flat to my page, so I quickly ran each strip through my sewing machine.  This adds a fun bit of texture, and also allows me to bend up my edges a little to add more depth to my page. 

 

 

I had a small photo of my son and myself that I wanted to use on this page, but it kind of got lost on the busy background of papers.  To help draw your attention to the photo, and to make it stand out more, I clipped a gold glittered frame around the photo and added in a white die cut next to it, gently overlapping the frame. 

 

 

I finished the page with simple embellishments and some journaling about the photo!  So easy, so pretty and the perfect way to use up those scraps!

 

 

>> Supplies Used <<

 

InLinkz.com

  

 

Happy Thursday!

 

xoxoxoxo

DIY Mini Gold Clipboard Wall Display

Hello! I am excited for today's post because it is just so so stinkin cute! As soon as Amanda emailed this to me, I wanted to share it with you right away! I already have a couple of these mini clipboards lying around my craft room so I am going to bust out the spray paint this week!! Everything looks 100 times more AMAZING with a coat of gold spray paint right? At least that's how it is in my world! :) Read on to find out how to make this darling DIY gold mini clipboard display!

Hi Friends! Last week while at the store I stumbled across some mini clipboards on the clearance shelf. I scooped them up right away as I knew they would make for a fun project. Today I am excited to share with you a fun and easy way to create clipboard wall art using the styleboard collection. Before I began my project I spray painted my mini clipboard with gold spray paint. I love how it turned out and how goes perfectly with the stlyleboard paper and embellishments.

After attaching the music paper to the clipboard, I began layering, starting with the chipboard doily. I then added the ruffled fabric and crepe paper to the top of the doily using the clipboard clip. If you haven't tried ruffling fabric and crepe paper, I hope you give it a try. It is one of my favorite ways to add a fabric texture to paper crafts! 

Next I added different shaped paper punches, layering them on top of the ruffles. Then I layered the horse flash card which I placed on top of all of the previous layers. To finish the clipboard project, I added a few stamped hearts onto the patterned paper.

I think I will be on the hunt for many more mini clipboards after this project. I just love how it turned out! 

>> Supplies Used <<

InLinkz.com

 Happy Tuesday!

xoxoxoxo

Giveaway Winner >> Studio Calico Subscription

Wow! I am seriously blown away by all of your sweet comments on this post from last week. You all just continue to uplift and inspire me with your kindness and I am beyond grateful for your never ending support and encouragement in all that I do! 

I promise to keep sharing my crafty and scrapbooking projects here on the blog and hope to continue to inspire you for many more years to come! Please don't be strangers as I absolutely LOVE to hear from each of you.... and all of your sweet comments literally keep me going! So don't be shy about saying hello here and on instagram! 

My next collection with Crate Paper will be shipping very soon so I will be sharing lots and lots of sneak peeks here and on my social media this month! Be sure to subscribe to my blog feed and follow me on instagram, facebook, pinterest etc if you don't already so that you don't miss out on any of the fun that I have planned......... including some more giveaways!!!!!

>> GIVEAWAY WINNER <<

The winner of the Studio Calico 3 month subscription giveaway is......

Kimberly said...

You led me to SC and I have loved every little thing you've shared over the years! God bless your newest arrival, and I hope you get to enjoy countless snuggles in the coming year!!! They sure do grow fast!!! Best of luck in all you do!! Can't wait to see what's next!!

Congrats Kimberly!!

Please email me using the "contact" button at the top of my blog with your information and SC username so that we can get you all set up!!

Thanks again to all of you for following along in this amazing journey of life and scrapbooking with me!! It is so rewarding to know that I have touched others' lives during this process and it means the world to me that I am able to encourage and inspire you guys along the way just like you do for me!!

Happy Monday Friends!!

xoxoxoxo

Design Team Inspiration

Not only does my design team share tons of ideas, tutorials and inspiration here on my blog, but they all post to their own blogs regularly too! These are super talented ladies my friends and they are constantly inspiring me with the things they create!! I love to follow each of them to see what they are working on and suggest following them yourself if you don't already!

Recently Jessy shared a darling layout using the flea market tag sale paper to create a unique and layered background! She tells you exactly how to do it on her blog here!

Kim knocked it out of the park using the Sandlot Studio Calico kit this month! I am dying over how she painted the backs of these clear alphas to add so many pops of fun color! 

Stephanie just got back from Spain where she taught at the L'Atelier Scrap Workshop! She used lots of Styleboard products in her class including the 6x6 paper pad and also the Flea Market clipboard style mini album. I just love everything this girl makes!

I am still gushing over what my design team did for me on my birthday! They are truly the sweetest ladies ever and made me feel so so special! In case you missed it, they each sent me handmade gifts and then also surprised me with a birthday blog hop on my actual birthday! I woke up to find the kindest messages and happy images from each of them, showcasing the things they had made! I posted some pictures of what they did on instagram and you can also see each of their posts and their inspiring projects/gifts here: Amanda, Kim, Stephanie, Jessy.

Amanda made the most darling cupcake toppers using my bow die cut and cork paper. I don't think I will ever tire of seeing these cute bows!!

Thanks for continuing to inspire us ladies!!

Happy Friday!

xoxoxox 

Using Chalkboard Paint in Scrapbooking

Chalkboard paint is a hot trend right now and it is a medium that I am definitely loving! You can find inspiration for chalkboard paint DIY projects all over pinterest these days and it is a fun thing to incorporate into your home decor! When Amercian Crafts came out with their own line of chalkboard paint I was super excited to try it in my scrapbooking projects too! Jessy has a darling layout to share with us today using the black chalkbaord paint and shows us just how versatile this medium is!

Lately, I have really enjoyed looking at chalkboard craft and that sparked an idea I wanted to create with the American Crafts Chalkboard Paint. 

Here is the layout that I'll be sharing a simple step-by-step today! 

First, use a wet wipe and dip into the gesso. Spread it all around the patterned paper.

Once the gesso is dried, used a new wet wipe and spread the chalkboard paint evenly by forming a square frame in the middle.

Next, sew all around the square frame. I sewed twice for mine.

After that, trim 1.5" of the patterned paper and adhere it onto a white cardstock. I have also decided to use the white and gold glitter tape to enhance the edges. All I did was to adhere the tapes under the patterned paper. 

I used some white mist and splattered the edges. It looked awesome on the chalkboard paint.

After all that, I used the polka dot black & white patterned paper to just paste it in the middle of the painted chalkboard paint. Be sure you trim it a little smaller so you can see the paint and the white thread. 

I absolutely love the gold rub-ons and decided to use them on the layout as well. QUICK TIP >> Be sure to cut the words/images before you rub it onto the layout. You will avoid the rest of the images getting "rub" onto the layout by accident that way. And of course it is easier for you to plan your placement too!

Here is the completed layout again. I added a silhouette die-cut flower, vellum & chipboard shapes to complete my layout. 

Here are some close-ups: 

Once again, thank you for letting me share with you today! Hope you enjoyed today's simple step-by-step! Happy Scrapping :) Xoxo Jessy

>> Supplies Used <<

InLinkz.com

 

Happy Thursday!

xoxoxoxo

More Changes >> A Sad Goodbye

I have been dreading writing this blog post for quite a while but knew that the day would eventually come and can't avoid it any longer. As sad as it is to write this, I am leaving my positions at Studio Calico. I have been working with SC since December 2008, which definitely makes this a hard goodbye! In this post I am sharing a glimpse into my journey with the company and also why it is time to say goodbye.

When I was first asked by April to guest design for Studio Calico, I was excited at the opportunity to work with their kits and create a few layouts. Little did I know what that first collaboration would turn into! Soon after that, I was asked to become a permanent member of their design team and I also accepted the position as kit & product photographer. I began the very detailed and important role of setting up and photographing the kits each month for the website, in addition to photographing new products for the shop. Not only did it allow my love for the kits and Studio Calico brand to grow, but it also allowed me to get to know the owners and employees of the company on a much more personal level. We have become quite close over the years and have spent many fun times not only working together, but having fun at events and tradeshows as well!! To say that I have felt like an integral part of the SC family (even though I work from home) is an understatement. They have been super generous, kind and supportive all along the way and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity I have had to work with them for so many years.

This is what my studio space has looked like for many days out of each month the past 5 1/2 years. My husband, children and I have all become accustomed to seeing this type of a "pretty" mess as I set up and photograph each of the kits. My kids come in and out all throughout the process and know to step around the set up so they don't bump it all and move anything out of place!

  

And here is the final image that you can see me setting up in the shot above! Taking all of the products each month and turning them into pretty photos can definitely be challenging but also very fun and rewarding as a photographer as well!

In addition to photographing the kits each month, I have enjoyed working with the supplies as part of the design team. After I take all of the pictures, I get to gather up the kits and create with all of the pretty things. Some months it is definitely hard to wait, because I want to just dive right in before I take the photos! It's hard to choose favorite layouts because I have literally made hundreds in my time with Studio Calico, so instead I picked a few at random to share with you and SC is sharing a few different ones on their blog too!

With the addition of our 6th baby coming soon, I have had this nagging feeling that I needed to step away from some of my work responsibilities and free up more time to be a mom. I know how fleeting those first few days, months and even years of a child's life pass by and I want to be able to cherish every single moment! Don't ge me wrong, I feel like I have been super blessed to work from home all these years so that I could enjoy time with all of my children and get things done while they nap etc., but 6 kids is a lot and I know that I will be even more busy than ever with my duties and responsibilities as a mother. There are only so many hours in a day and with the momentum and growth that my own brand is experiencing, something had to give. 

So it is with sadness that I make the announcement that I will not be designing or working as kit photographer for Studio Calico any longer. It will definitely be an emotional transition but I am also excited about the future and what lies ahead. I know that every time soemthing ends, something amazing begins and I can only move forward with a positive outlook on the future. I am beyond excited for lots of snuggling with this new baby come December and I am also thrilled about where the Maggie Holmes for Crate Paper brand is headed. In addition, it is likely that you will still see Studio Calico and I collaborating occasionally and continuing to cross-promote as we both want nothing but success for each other.

Over the years I have taught many online classes in the Studio Calico classroom (including 2 rounds of  Happy Little Moments and 25 Days) and have enjoyed getting to know the students on a closer level through those workshops. Teaching is always a favorite of mine and I love the chance to inspire others while also pushing myself to grow and try new things as well! I have taught the December Daily class at SC the past two years and am sad that I won't be able to teach it this year. I will definitely be taking lots of photos and documenting the season, as always, but I will also be recovering and enjoying time with my family and new baby. My December Daily album will have to wait until January (or later) and I will look forward to seeing all of your creations for inspiration!!

I had fun looking back through all of the classes I have taught at SC and put together a collage of my favorite snippits from some of the workshops!

>> 30 Days of Me Class <<

As I announced earlier this week, I do have a class coming up next month at Studio Calico and I am super excited to be with you all for that.... so the goodbye isn't totally goodbye yet!!!! We will celebrate the future and new beginnings together as we share our time in the classroom and create our 30 Days of Me mini albums! 

>> GIVEAWAY <<

And finally..... because I wanted this announcement to be one of celebration and happiness in looking forward to what lies ahead, we have prepared some amazing giveaways for you all! I am offering a giveaway for a spot in my online Photography 101 Workshop on the Studio Calico blog today! I'm also offering a 25% discount code for both of my photography workshops because I want all of you to win!! 

Studio Calico is giving away a 3 Month Subscription to the kit of your choice here on my blog!To enter to win the Studio Calico giveaway, leave a comment here on this blog post and I will draw a winner at random! The giveaways are both open through Friday August 8th at 11:59pm EST.

To enter to win the Photography 101 Workshop giveaway, go to the Studio Calico blog and enter there. Also be sure to read the post over there to get the 25% discount code!

I want to publicly thank Studio Calico for many many wonderful years together and I also want to thank all of you for supporting me along the way as well. I can't tell you how much your gallery comments and message board comments have meant to me as you have shown me your love and encouragement all of this time! Please continue to say hello as I would love to keep in touch with all of you, whether on the SC boards, on instagram or here on my blog!

Happy Bittersweet Wednesday & Good Luck on the Giveaways!

xoxoxoxo

Winner of Maggie Holmes Paper Pack Giveaway

The winner of the Maggie Holmes Paper Pack giveaway is....

Lindsay weiser said...

Saw it and almost bought it! I am going to buy it next time I go in though bc my 6 year old daughter Keri's stealing my Maggie Holmes papers!

Congrats Lindsay! Please email me using the "contact" link at the top of my blog with your mailing info asap to claim your prize! Prizes must be claimed within 14 days of announcement or a new winner will be drawn. 

To see the original post with more details on the Maggie Holmes Michael's Hot Buy Paper Pack, click here.

Live Out Loud >> Scrapbook Page

Hi there! Kim is with us today sharing a scrapbook layout with another gorgeous watercolor effect! I love how she hand cut the title from the background cardstock and then placed her watercolored paper behind it. The ombre effect that she created there is just beautiful as well! She has such an artistic approach to her scrapbooking and I am always inspired by it! She makes me want to keep pushing myself to play with different things like gelatos and watercolors and try new techniques!!

 

I always have to find some way of infusing more color into my projects, if it isn't using gelatos or watercolors it's hand drawn and colored illustrations. For this project I decided to cut a title onto the page.  I happened to have an old scrap sheet that I painted with watercolors and I just loved how it looked behind the letters.  Most times I paint pages and little cards and keep them in my stash for later. It's fun to just play with watercolors or gelatos just to get a feel for them on scrap sheets of paper!  They always get used on collages or future projects plus I get plenty of practice! 

 

 

For the rest of the layout I used a selection of cards and papers to layer along with my photo.  I pulled out some of the flowers from the Styleboard collection ephemera pack and some craft store petals to complete the look. I just love the simple layered look along with flower petals. It makes it very feminine and light. 

 

 

For one of the cards I used a flower die-cut and adhered glitter to the card underneath it for a fun sparkly effect!

 

 

>> Supplies Used <<

 

InLinkz.com

 

Happy Crafting!

 

xoxoxoxo

We're Having a Baby!!!

I have some FUN news to share with you today!!!

Baby #6 will be joining our family this December!!

About a year ago I started having this feeling that we were missing someone. I would quickly count the kids to make sure they were all there, but it still felt like there was an empty spot in our home and in my heart. We weren't exactly sure when or if we would actually add another member to our already big family so I would push those feelings aside with the idea that we would wait to make the decision at a later time.

We strive each day to live our lives in a way that allows our Heavenly Father to guide and direct us along the path that he knows is best for our family. In my heart I knew that if there was indeed another little one waiting, it would eventually happen and when the time was right. Then when we were least expecting it, we found out that there was in fact a precious new little baby on the way!! Needless to say we are beyond thrilled and I'm excited to fill that space in our family that I have felt was missing for quite a while now!

I'm not normally one to take maternity photos but my friend Amanda was here visiting recently so we decided to do a quick shoot and take some fun pictures! We were in the middle of a dust storm and it was over 100 degrees out so I kinda felt like I was melting, but I love that she was able to capture the joy and excitement I am feeling! 

I also wanted to do something fun to announce the gender of the new baby so we brought along some sequins and glitter!

Baby #6 is a boy!!!!! We are super excited to have another boy! We were in boy mode for many years and then switched over to baby girl mode when we had Emily and Elizabeth. Now it sort of feels like we are starting over as we switch back to baby boy mode again!!

I would love to know your favorite sources for cute boy clothing, blankets, etc. so please link me up to your fave sites and shops!! I haven't shopped for baby boy clothes in years and we are swimming in piles of pink blankets so I am definitley on the hunt to get ready for this new little guy!!

Thanks for letting me share our big news with you today!!! We can't wait to welcome him to our family!!!

Happy Day!!!

xoxoxoxoxo

Maggie's Pinterest Picks

PAPER > scrapbook layout by just g via studio calico

PHOTO > holiday family photo ideas by ellie grover via babble

LOVING > colorful vintage books by Heather Baily via zsazsabellagio blog

HOME > amazing gallery wall via adore home magazine blog

You can follow all of my pinterest boards here: Maggie Holmes Pinterest

Happy Monday!

xoxoxo