Amanda O'Banion

my first artist trading card swap

Back in July, my friend and Two Girls and a Kit partner Carrie text me and invited me to take part in an ATC swap with 4 of her other crafty friends. I'll be honest, my response text went something like: "Sure! But remind me again what an ATC is?" Haha. 

She wanted the ATC cards to be 3x4 size so that we could incorporate them into our Project Life albums and I was so in love with the idea. The theme was summer and for some reason my mind immediately went to flamingo's. I'm not sure if it's because we never made it to the beach or if it's the awesome pink's and oranges that flamingo's remind me of, but either way I was sold. 

I knew that I wanted to use watercoloring and embossing paste and I wanted my cards to have lots of different textures. I'm also pretty addicted to distress inks right now so I gathered up some supplies and came up with this fun and summery card! 

You can watch the video below or go to my YouTube channel and view it there! A list of all the supplies that I used can be found underneath the video.

I love this project so much that I am considering hosting a swap on my YouTube channel. Leave a comment here or on my channel if you would be interested! 

Happy Scrapping! 

Supplies I used on this card:

Neenah Solar White Cardstock 80lb: http://goo.gl/uan9PM
Kraft cardstock: http://goo.gl/p4KK2K
Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste: http://goo.gl/4XS3ER
Artists Loft Mixed Media set: http://goo.gl/4TYDT8
Simon Says Stamp Extra Large Dots Stencil: http://goo.gl/TfMYXe
Tim Holtz The Journey stamp set: http://goo.gl/qQAc6p
Studio Calico July Project Life Kit stamp: http://goo.gl/ugcRKN
Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Ripe Persimmon: http://goo.gl/2RLRbd
Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Dried Marigold: http://goo.gl/DsCWEV
Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Worn Lipstick: http://goo.gl/EUktA4
Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Frayed Burlap: http://goo.gl/DsCWEV
Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Tumbled Glass: http://goo.gl/2RLRbd
Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool: http://goo.gl/1lNE47
Stampendous Detail White Embossing Powder: http://goo.gl/l9XVnP
Stamp n' Stuff Kaleidoscope Embosssing Powder: http://goo.gl/tSW4tL
Versamark Ink: http://goo.gl/G24pJU
American Crafts Slick Writer: http://goo.gl/P5ZZWI
Floral Washi Tape: No longer available:
Mini Glue Dots: http://goo.gl/mdN9cX
ATG Tape Runner: http://goo.gl/zRlHZM
Glossy Accents: http://goo.gl/fgwyZM
Scotch 1/2 in double sided foam tape: http://goo.gl/fLjrNN
Silhouette Cut File: http://goo.gl/9g1noN
Silhouette Cameo: http://goo.gl/XFgNxN
Strathmore watercolor paper: http://goo.gl/fzJ7cu

two girls and a kit // summer printable video share

I promise that I will get back to regular posting soon but I just wanted to take a minute and actually show you the printables that go along with the Summer Two Girls and a Kit edition and talk about how I will be using them specifically over the next couple of months. You can view the video below or watch it directly through YouTube. 

Thanks so much for the great feedback we have received so far! I can't wait to see what you guys are creating with this summer! 

two girls and a kit // Summer Sketch printable

I'm back again and this time I am sharing with you the final printable to round out our Summer Two Girls and a Kit kit reveal! 

 

Download your free printable sketch here.

When I designed this sketch I was really trying to give you a jumping off point for designing your own 4x4 mini album.  Carrie and I are both going to be creating a mini this summer and we thought it would be awesome if you jumped on board. These sketches are designed to get your mind thinking creatively about all the things you can do with such a small amount of real estate on your page.  

Instagram is a great place for collecting photos that are already formatted to the 4x4 size. Using things like Instagram photos takes out a lot of the hassle of editing and cropping down your photo's. You can just upload them to your computer and print! 

If you are looking for a fun challenge to get you started taking 4x4 photos, Carrie and I have some fun photo prompts that you can participate in on our Instagram feeds. Carrie is using the month of August to take a self portrait everyday! You can find out more about her challenge and join in the fun over at her Instagram feede . To join in just use #30dayselfportraitchalleng. I am challenging myself to take a photo each day at 7:00. It has been so awesome to see what our life looks like at a specific time of day. You can join me over at my instagram feed and play along using #lifeat7. 

That's it for our Summer Two Girls and a Kit printable reveal! I will share a video with you tomorrow showing you the printables in person and my kit video will be revealed later in the week! We would love for you to play along. You can always use #twogirlsandakit to share your work with us and give others inspiration as well! 

Below is a wrap-up with links to all of the printables. 

Two Girls and a Kit Summer Moodboard

Two Girls and a Kit Summer Recipe

Two Girls and a Kit Summer Journaling Cards

Want more Two Girls and Kit Inspiration?

Two Girls and a Kit on Amanda's YouTube Channel

Two Girls and a Kit on Carrie's YouTube Channel 

two girls and a kit // Free summer journaling cards

This week we will round out our reveal of the Summer edition of Two Girls and a Kit. Don't forget to check out the moodboard and the recipe card. 

Summer is such a busy time. Carrie and I are both going to be documenting a lot of our summer using a 4x4 album so we thought it would be a good idea for the journaling cards to reflect that. Oh my word y'all! When Carrie emailed me the finished cards I about fell out of my chair! How insanely gorgeous are these! Our thoughts are that we will use the Let's Sleep Under the Stars image as a base for watercoloring. I am so stoked to see how this turns out! 

You can grab the FREE journaling car downloads here. 

How are you enjoying the summer Two Girls and Kit reveal so far? We'd love to see what you are creating with it! Add to the party on Instagram using #twogirlsandakit.

Still to come this week: our full kit reveal and sketch share! Happy August everyone! 

7:00 / a photo adventure

This August is off to a great start. I love August. It's my birthday month (hello 28), school starts back, school supplies hit the shelves, and I can start to see the slightest beginnings of fall.  This August I am embarking on a fun photo adventure and would love to have you join me. 

Each night a 7:00 I am taking a picture of whatever I am doing at the moment.  I fully expect some of the pictures to be crazy awesome and some to be super boring, but I think it is going to be magic to look back at a spread of 31 photos, all taken at the exact same time of day and see how our life progressed from one 24 hour span to the next. I expect lighting shifts as days become shorter, kitchen tables switching from piles of toys to teacher manuals as school begins, and lots of other changes that this time of year brings. 

I would love to have you join me in this adventure. You can follow me on my instagram channel here and use #lifeat7. Each day I will feature my favorite shots from you! 

Let's get going August, you are going to be great! 

two girls and a kit // Summer Recipe card

Hello again! I hope you enjoyed our Summer Moodboard reveal from earlier today and that you are already thinking about what you are going to pull together in your kit! I can't wait to get started on mine. These images just scream "SUMMER!!" and I have so many projects that need started (and finished!) and this is the perfect kit to do it with! 

(Download your free Two Girls and a Kit Summer Recipe Card HERE.)

Just like in May, Carrie and I created a recipe card that coordinates perfectly with the kit and will inspire you to pull items from your stash to create the perfect summertime kit!  

You'll notice that with this recipe, under techniques we added in a couple of the suggestions from our moodboard post, with some of the supplies you'll need for them under mixed media.  Also, we are both planning on creating mini books using a 4x4 We R Memory Keepers Album, so supplies for that are listed under optional.

Next week we look forward to revealing our very own kits as well as the sketch that will get your mind thinking on a more miniature scale. Think...4x4 all the way!  

Happy scrapping! 

two girls and a kit // SUMMER moodboard!

Hello! So sorry it's been so quiet around here but school is getting ready to start and I have been spending so much time in my classroom trying to get it ready and as much time as I can snuggling my little girls before I have to leave them again everyday. Add VBS to the mix every night and there has been little time for loving on this little space! 

 

I'm so, SO SO SO, excited to share with you the Summer Two Girls and a Kit Moodboard! Carrie and I are  pumped about the response we have had with how you guys are using the moodboard, recipe cards, and sketch's that come with each kit. Using the kit that I pulled together back in May for the Spring Moodboard definitely got me out of a funk and into scrapping. I am so ready to move on to this kit! 

 

 

Sources from Pinterest:  Column 1 - 1, 2, 3  Column 2 - 1, 2, 3  Column 3 - 1, 2, 3

(Download your copy of our Summer Moodboard HERE.)

 

 

This time around we are approaching the idea of a moodboard a little differently.  Instead of only having inspirational photos to stir your creativity, we thought it would be fun to specifically share some of our ideas on how each of these images can be interpreted and used in our memory keeping!  So let's get to it!

 

Column 1 -

1. The black background and cute animals really grab my attention in this image. I can see myself using a lot of my rub-ons and sticker embellishments on a page like this with the focal point being one square image in the middle of the page. 
2. I'm a sucker for anything typography and die-cut related. Especially using the negative space. I've been toying with scrapping a phrase that has been stuck in my mind for awhile and I think the watercolored die-cut look of the image is just the inspiration I need to get myself started! 
3. Speaking of watercolor, I can't wait to try coloring a stamped image using watercolors. I think it would be a great way to create a custom layering piece for an image or even go large scale and create an entire background. I can see myself using some embossing here as well. Hmmmmm....my wheels are spinning on this one! 

Column 2 -

1. Bold colors in an abstract form? Yes please! While this image shows the colors that are reflected in the moodboard I have a stencil and some distress ink that would make this image come to life! 
2. The thing about this image that spoke to me is the way that the graphics stand out very clearly against the background as they are nestled in the bottom corner. I would love to try and recreate this with a photo on a page. I'm thinking black and white with bold pops of color. 
3. Again, this image is drawing me to a stamp set that I have that is all about stars and constellations and moons and space. I immediately thought of wood veneer stars for this but I'm going to try and stretch my brain a little to come up with a fun technique using this image inspiration. 

Column 3 -

1. Fruit? Um Yes. Watercolored fruit? Definitely! I can't wait to see what I can come up with for this. I might just have the perfect summer photo for this too! 
2. One of the things on my craft to-do list is to play with mediums other than ink and paint. Marbeling with nail polish is something I have wanted to try since seeing Elise do it on her blog and this is the perfect opportunity to get my hands dirty! 
3. I can't seem to get enough of ombre. I hope the trend never goes away! Again my mind goes straight to watercolor on this one but I'm thinking of an idea that might also involve some embossing paste and die-cutting. We shall see!   

(Follow our Two Girls and a Kit Summer Moodboard on Pinterest HERE.)

And that's it for the moodboard!  Check back this afternoon as we will be sharing the coordinating recipe card you can put together your custom kits.  See ya soon.  XO

 

Want more Two Grils and a Kit:

 

• Our first video sharing all about this new scrapbook club.
• May's Moodboard, which I used to put my first custom scrapbook kit together.
• Here you can download your Recipe Card for May.
• My May Scrapbook Kit, created using only things from my stash.
• My process videos using the May kit.
• Carrie's custom kit for May.
• Download your free May Journaling Cards.

two girls and a kit // our love is lovely

Hello everyone! We just arrived home from vacation yesterday morning and while I already miss the lake and the 24/7 outdoors and, dare I say, no wi-fi or TV, it is good to be home. 

Today's layout is another layout using the Two Girls and A Kit summer kit. The cool grey tones and the blue brocade paper really compliment each other well and I love using black and white photos whenever I get the chance! You can find the complete supply list in the description of the YouTube video! Looking forward to getting up to my craft room and rounding out this kit! 

I hope you are all enjoying the rest of your summer!

 

two girls and a kit // dream big today

I'm back with my second layout share using the spring/summer Two Girls and a Kit that Carrie and I collaborated on.  

This layout tells the story of my favorite place in my house and how I love to curl up in the my chair with a book and a cup of coffee and get lost in a good book. (This is the book I am reading in the photo.) I went out of my comfort zone a little by trying to create a layout focused on circular elements. I hope you enjoy it! You can find the supply list linked under the YouTube video in the video description.

Happy Scrapping everyone! 

 

teaching our girls to be one-of-a-kind

    (ignore the chalk on the walls. Adeline decided to 'color' when I thought she was napping. Magic eraser to the rescue!)              

It is so hard to be true to yourself these days. Between all of the social media blasts that are constantly coming our way and telling us what we should look like, what color our hair should be, and what size clothes we should wear; it's hard to find something who is truly one of a kind. 

As a parent it is so important that I teach my girls to be true to themselves.  I never want my girls to feel that we favor one of them over the other but I want them to know that we love them each as individual people. They are not the same, and as parents I think it's hard to not compare. Even at such young ages I am constantly saying things like "Adeline did this but Eleanor didn't" or "Eleanor had 4 teeth by this time but Adeline didn't have any." What seems harmless can do so much danger in the long run.

Right after Eleanor was born we began doing a lot of research on how to help Adeline adjust to her new little sister. We didn't want her to get lost in the 'big sister' role and get looked over. Some of the things that we discovered were key in helping her transition into not being the only baby in the house while still helping her feel unique and special. Each night I began telling her one thing that I loved just about her. It might be something like "I love your cute nose." or it may have been something as complex as "I love the way you helped change Sissy's diaper today." Something that gave her self worth and helped her feel special. As Eleanor has grown we have also adopted this practice with her. We also make sure to say things like "You are our favorite Adeline (or Eleanor)" instead of just "You are our favorite". 

As Christians we know it is important to teach our children that we are made in God's image and yet we are all so uniquely different. A very special verse to our family is Psalms 139:13-14:

For you created my inmost being;
you knit be together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made,
your works are wonderful;
I know that full well.

A few months ago I was contacted by Dayspring and was given the opportunity to share some of their products with my family. I was so excited when I saw that the core messge behind their U-NEEK line was the verse that we share with our girls all the time and the message of living unique and one of a kind lives for Jesus. Adeline loves her "Awwie" Alliebird Big Ole' Pillow Plush and sleeps with it every night. It has our favorite verse on the back of it so when we say our prayers we always point out the verse and say it together. Eleanor has a smaller plush toy, Trysta May, and plays with it daily. She loves to chew on the ears and I've already had to wash it a couple times!

The Dweeber-God Rocks reusable party cups are perfect for our family since Adeline is transitioning to big-girl cups and the fact that they are dishwasher safe is icing on the cake!
 

 They also make great stacking toys too. 

My girls are too small for lunch boxes and they definitely can't read but when I saw these Encouragement Notes I grabbed them up as well as the Fearfully and Wonderfully Made stickers for my AWANA class at church. The greeting cards came in very handy when a student was sick and when I forgot to buy a birthday card! The come 3 to a pack so I still have one on hand. 

 

If ordering online isn't for you, U-NEEK products will be available in both Walmart and Hobby Lobby until July 7th. These would be great items for you to run out and grab and keep for the special kids in your life that need to know that they are unique and special in the eyes of God. 

How are you teaching your kids or the children in your life to be unique? I'd love to hear what being unique means to you.  

*Affiliate links are used throughout this post. This means that if you purchase items through these links I will earn a small commission. Dayspring was very gracious to give me the products listed in return for sharing them with you but all words and opinions are my honest opinion and these special products have become cherished items in my home and my family.