Yup, that's my li'l bro in those photos, taken while we were at Star Wars Celebration VI. We're both married to people who could really care less about the whole Star Wars universe, so J flew down to Orlando to join me at the last convention for a few days of geeky sibling bonding. It was an absolute blast, and I'm trying to convince him that, yes, he really can fly to Anaheim next spring to go to Celebration VII! He keeps mentioning something about being busy with a second child that he and Beth spawned last fall, though... :)
If this layout looks a little less patterned paper-y than my norm, it's because I put it together for Citrus Twist's weekly blog feature on using 6x6 paper pads on layouts. The Pocket Life kit each month features a different pad (this month it's Kelly Purkey's Mon Ami for Basic Grey), and we like to give lots of inspiration for making traditional pages as well as Project Life to help get those pads used up.
One of my favorite things to do with 6x6 pads is to die cut them and use them as accents on my pages. My Sizzix Big Shot can only fit papers that are 6" wide or narrower, making these little pads perfect for running through for quick cuts without having to cut a larger sheet of paper down to fit. Throw in a die set like Lawn Fawn's Puffy Stars that has both large and small elements, and you can easily piece together a layout background using just a sheet of cardstock as a base. I stacked the dies to create the outlines, then used them individually to make perfectly-sized stars to fill those borders.
And, with that, I'm off to work to write lots and lots of code. I hope that you all have an awesome day- thanks so much for stopping by!