going a little continental crazy

studio calico's july kit, continental, is truly an amazing kit. i was rather inspired by the whole bunch of papers, went a little crazy in fact. i used more technique and product than i ever have. it was fun :) i got the magellan add on, but had some of the products from the other add ons, namely the alphas. i was really happy with the variety of alphas showcased this month, a very nice mix. it is also a very bright and color kit, but none of my layouts turned out bright and colorful, i went with the muted look this time. kind of funny, not my normal M.O.

here are my sneaks, accompanied by a short explanation:

1. i should have stopped very early on with this one, but i kept adding and adding, the last straw involved misting something i probably shouldn't have... oh well. i love the topic, i'm happy with the end result, but it was nice with just the title, i should have channeled my inner laura :) I used the main, lasalle, lewis and clark, and magellan.
2. this one uses magellan exclusively. see, it's a pretty neutral layout, but man, i love it. i used the medium and extra large star punches, as well as the label punch. i stamped with the exclusive stamps from this add on using broken china. it looks blue, but in reality matches the turquoises in the MM line quite nicely. i think this add on will be the first to sell out, it has some serious goodness in it.

3. based on my own personal misheard song lyric. i like how it ended up, but i failed to incorporate a spot for journaling into my design. dang, don't like it when that happens. i started with the title, printed the photo, added all the bits and bobs, then realized there was no good place to journal. bah. i used all main kit for this one. i LOVE the exclusive papers this month and the GP die cuts are fabulous! i used the zig zag punch and a couple of the negative images from that same punch.

4. this is a very basic layout, but i love it. more stars using the XL punch. i was inspired by lisa dickinson's design workshop ebook available through ella publishing. i have held onto these photos for a couple of years and it was so fun to finally use them! i used jeni boisvert's heat wave action, fun :) this one features the main and magellan as well as the round binding edge punch.
5. love love love how this one turned out. we keep getting the yummy jenni bowlin/coredinations paper in kits and i really really really struggle with it. not sure why, it's gorgeous. i just worry i won't do it justice. but this layout, well justice was done. it was inspired by my daughter's About Me on facebook. i used modern red paint from CHS, the month stamps, and the label punch. my daughter changes her facebook pic often, i think i'll do this same layout over and over again :) it uses the main, lewis and clark, and magellen.

6. you can just call me timily holtz. i went total tim on this one, gesso, walnut distress ink, gel medium, punches, paint, more paint, brushes, misting (bronze to be exact), twine, ink blending tool (needing the replacement pads now...), and basic grey's precision files (WORTH.EVERY.PENNY.). it was very outside my box, but very fun to put together. i almost broke a sewing machine needle a couple of times!) it uses the main, lasalle, and magellan.

7. and to be honest, this one's not quite done. hoping today will finish it up for me. i am using bit and bobs from various kits, but the base of it comes from magellan, and the nicest surprise? the journaling lines stamp and faded jeans distress ink. it's the perfect touch.
that's it. i did a lot with this month's kit. love it. and really, you'll want to get magellan quickly, it's got a great alpha that can be misted, painted, inked, or left naked. very versatile.