Sunshine and Rainbows in Pockets with Michelle Flynn

Hi friends!  It’s Michelle here and I am so excited to show you how I used the incredibly beautiful February kit and add-ons to document a rather special day of our trip to amazing Canada! I am sure I am not alone in this, but I find it almost impossible not to take a lot of photos of everyday life and even more so on a trip or a special occasion. I really love capturing every moment, but I certainly don’t like to be overwhelmed with photos when I am trying to document those moments in my albums. Today I thought I would share a few little things I like to do that allows me the freedom to incorporate more photos and moments into a traditional pocket page layout.

Supplies | February 2020 Kit, January 2021 KitFebruary 2021 Cut FilesHere’s the Story Printables, Bright Die Cut TabsArrow Label StickersJane Tile Alphabet Cardstock Stickers – Pink, Happy Little Moments Chipboard Stickers, Chipboard Label Stickers, Thankful Chipboard Label Stickers, Dark Pink Puffy Alphabet Stickers, Puffy Heart StickersHeart of Gold Wood Veneers, All My Heart Wood Veneers, Tiny Acrylic HeartsXOXO 6 x 8.5 Inch Paper Stack, Monthly Highlights 6 x 8.5 Inch Paper StackGood Times Tab Stamp, Noted Vol. 3 Stamp, Hugs and Kisses Stamp, Daily Tabs Stamp, Collected Stamp, Title Builder Vol. 3 Stamp, Title Builder Vol. 4 Stamp, Pocket, Frame, and Flip Up – Extra Frames Metal Die

One of the ways I like to add more photos into my layouts is to use a grid design which allows you to add multiple photos into one 4″ x 6″ pocket. I did that here in the bottom left corner of the 9″ x 12″ page and I layered it using the beautiful pink pattern paper from the XOXO Paper Stack. I chose wood veneer from the Heart of Gold Wood Veneers and that incredibly gorgeous Tiny Acrylic Heart. I added the Arrow Label Sticker and layered it with a Bright Die Cut Tab and used the Good Times Tab Stamp to stamp directly on it. I had to add some of those sweet Happy Little Moments Chipboard Stickers to finish it off. I love that I was able to create my own 4″ x 6″ pocket with all of these beautiful items and I was also able to incorporate three photos in one pocket!   

Not only did we capture some beautiful rainbows at Niagara Falls, but we also captured a sweet little bird sitting on the side of us singing away and I wanted to capture that moment with a little title-based 4″ x 6″ pocket. I used the pocket tag from this the February Kit for the middle of the 6″ x 12″ page cutting the “amazing” February Cut File using the same pink patterned XOXO Paper. I used the Noted Vol. 3 Stamp for the “currently” phrase and added the arrow stamps from the Hugs and Kisses Stamp. Title Builder Vol. 3 and Vol. 4 Stamps added the words in script font, and I finished it off with a sweet rainbow from the Happy Little Moments Chipboard Stickers.   

Another fun little thing I love to do is to make mini books, one more way to add more photos to your layout while making it interactive. Who says a mini book can’t also slide right into a single pocket page insert? For the cover, I used the rainbow February Cut File, and more of the XOXO Paper Stack to cut the design using my Cricut, adding a tag shape. I used the Collected Stamp for the phrase on the front of the tag. One of the Niagara waterfall photos created a peek-a-boo effect behind the rainbow cut out.

I used a combination of the February kit and add-ons to create each page while carefully paying attention to the weight and thickness—you want it to fit easily into the pocket and not be too heavy. I adore how it turned out using all of the beautiful embellishments from this month’s release and I hope you’ll check out my Instagram profile for more photos of each page. It might be a mini, but it sure is mighty!          

I loved the rainbow pocket tag in this month’s kit. I fussy cut the rainbow and then chose two sheets of patterned paper from the lovely XOXO Paper Stack to layer under it using the Pocket, Frame, and Flip Up – Extra Frames Metal Die, creating a lovely frame of patterns. I finished this sweet and simple pocket off with the star from the Happy Little Moments Chipboard Stickers, and by stamping “today’s story” using the Daily Tabs Stamp.

The second pocket tag I chose for this layout was the gorgeous pink and red heart tag from the February Kit. I used the Noted Vol. 3 Stamp to add the captions on white cardstock, then trimmed it down so that it could be adhered directly on top of the red heart tag while leaving the top and bottom hearts visible. I then used an idea from another creative team member—sometimes the best ideas come from others—and added the periods from the Dark Pink Puffy Alphabet Stickers to check the boxes. 

I then moved onto my journaling. I just love the Monthly Highlights 6 x 8.5 Inch Paper Stack, as it can be used in so many ways! I decided to trim it down to a 4″ x 6″, adding the Happy Little Moments Chipboard Stickers and the pink Jane Tile Alphabet Cardstock Stickers for my title and my top three highlights of that day. I just adore how it turned out and I couldn’t finish without a Puffy Heart Sticker!

I had such fun finally documenting this day with these beautiful Elle’s Studio products and I hope you found just one little thing to inspire you to create. I cannot wait to see how you document your memories with this month’s kit and add ons! Don’t forget to share your own creativity and inspiration on Instagram using the #ellesstudio hashtag and over in the Elle’s Studio Facebook Group! Until next time, happy creating friends!