Favorites (CHA S12)

CHA Winter 2013 is just around the corner!  I thought this would be a good time to review my list of favorites from last CHA (Summer 2012) and show you how I have been using them in projects.

My "top five" favorite releases were:

1.  "Persnickety" by Lily Bee Design
2.  autumn collections in general
3. "Midway" by October Afternoon
4. "Grandma's Lima Bean Soup" by Jillibean Soup
5. "Everyday Eclectic" by Echo Park Paper

And here are some of my favorite layouts, using those products...

Supplies: mini zigzag papers by Lily Bee Design; floral paper & casette die cut by October Afternoon; yellow and blue papers by American Crafts; teal paper by Fab Scraps; bull's eye paper by Basic Grey; bingo card and flower sticker by Simple Stories; alphabet stickers, photo corners,  & woodgrain paper by Bella Blvd; striped paper by Fancy Pants Design; rub-on frames by Hambly; stamp by Northwoods Stamps; black in by Hero Arts; yellow ink by Clearsnap; chalk by Stampin' Up; pen by Zig; household staples.

The layout above is one that I did for CSI Case File #39.  Somehow, I never got around to posting it on my blog until now.  I used products by lots of different manufacturers on this page, but what made me happiest was getting to combine four different zigzag papers from Lily Bee's "Persnickety" line.

One of the best things about "Persnickety" is all the zigzag papers in a myriad of colors.  On this layout I used them to write about the different things that my family did on our "Staycation."  I jazzed up these notes with Hambly rub-ons and yellow ink...love the combination of bright, summery colors!

Next on my list of faves is "autumn" collections.  Now, if you go back to my original post, you will see that I listed a specific collection as my favorite.  However, once autumn collections started hitting store shelves, I realized that there were many that I loved.  It's too hard to chose just one favorite!  Instead, I decided just to choose my favorite "autumny" layout to show you.

Supplies: floral paper by Jillibean Soup; woodgrain paper by October Afternoon; lattice paper by Crate; alphabet stickers by Bella Blvd; decorative stickers & journaling box by Simple Stories; pen by Zig.

I fell head-over-heels in love with the Harvest Lane collection from Simple Stories.  I used it on a couple of autumnal layouts that I had published (which, unfortunately, I can't show you quite yet), and also on the layout above.

Supplies: diamond paper, tickets, label stickers, & alphabet stickers by October Afternoon; word stickers & sunflower stickers by Bella Blvd; orange paint by Plaid; blue paint by Ranger; pens by Zig; yarn scrap from my friend's knitting business.

Another autumn line that I loved was the Thankful collection by Bella Blvd.  On the layout above, I combined Thankful with my third favorite summer CHA release: October Afternoon's Midway collection!  Both Thankful and Midway included lots of yellow and orange elements, so they worked together beautifully.

Supplies: blue cardstock by Wausau Paper; green patterned paper, button squares, & hexagon stickers by Jillibean Soup; fabric-inspired patterned paper squares by Lily Bee; woodgrain paper squares by My Mind's Eye; patterned paper strips & red cardstock square by Cosmo Cricket; alphabet stickers by October Afternoon; household stapler.

Jillibean Soup is next on my list of favorites!  This company names all of their product lines after different kinds of soup.  The adorable button paper (along with its green patterned B-side) from the Grandma's Lima Bean Soup line plays a starring role on this layout.  It's funny...I hate lima beans, but I love Grandma's Lima Bean Soup!  :)

Last but not least is Everyday Eclectic from Echo Park paper.  True to its name, Everyday Eclectic is versatile enough to work on all sorts of everyday layouts.  You'll see below that I used it on a two-page layout about my visit to the spring flower show at Como Park.  (You've seen these photos before, in this post.)

Supplies: both colors of cardstock by Wausau Paper; journaling cards & aqua alphabet stickers by October Afternoon; all other alphabet stickers & all patterned paper by Echo Park; chipboard by DCWV; Liquid Pearls by Ranger; flowers by Petaloo; pens by Zig.

The soft-yet-vibrant colors of Everyday Eclectic are great for combining.  They also seem to coordinate well with a lot of other collections. For example, they complement these Echo Park alphabet stickers, which are from the old Little Girl line. 

I found a lot of favorites among the CHA Summer 2012 releases, and had so much fun creating with them.  Okay, CHA Winter, let's see what you've got for me now!