Madison's 8th Birthday

This two page layout I spent quite a bit of time on and I'm very much in love with it. I started with a design that I found in one of my Creating Keepsakes magazines (by Laura Vegas) and then I altered it as I needed to in order to fit what I had. I love this paper pad that I picked up from Me & My Big Ideas in their clearance booth at one of the Expos. I got it for like $5.00 and it came with 6 die cut sheets inside! What a bargain!
I sewed a lot on these pages and I think that it really finishes it off.
Here is the first page with my beautiful little girl. The difficult thing was that we had this party a week after we moved so the few friends that she had invited from her old school had apparently forgotten about it in the week that they didn't see her. So it was just family, but she was really good about the whole thing (and I promised the girls one really big party this year for the both of them with all of their friends!)
Here is the second page, the papers coordinated so well with everything, it was like... magic!
I have been waiting for an excuse to use some of this rose ribbon that I have been hoarding from American Crafts. It is the perfect touch to go with her Pinkalicious birthday. I also punched a few circles out of that Happy Birthday paper and then adhered it with dimensional adhesive.
I sewed around each section of paper and used these die cuts for the title and I pop dotted a couple of the pieces.
And this has to be my favorite new technique, outlining my photos with a Sharpie fine tip poster paint pen in white. This was an idea that I got from Ali Edwards and I bought the pen from Amazon, I was a little hesitant to try it but now I am hooked! It adds just the right touch to the photos as if I had spent tons of time and cardstock matting each of them.
These embellishments are so cute grouped together. The presents are from a set that I got in a dollar booth at an Expo, and the cupcake is from SEI along with those star borders. I really like their birthday collection.

Can't wait to share photos of my finished room tomorrow!