Adore / My Mind's Eye

Happy Wednesday, friends!  I have a new layout for My Mind's Eye to share with you all today :)  I used the My Story collection again, and I did a little mixing and matching with the Fancy That and Market Street collections.  I pulled this background paper from Fancy That and used some of the Chipboard Elements and Decorative Tape from the Market Street lines. 

I was instantly inspired by this gorgeous floral paper from My Story.  I took some time and fussy cut out a huge flower cluster.  I knew right away I wanted to use that behind my photo.  I added some white gesso and pink and gold watercolors to the background.  I added the gold dotted decorative tape to give a bit more gold back there, and then I came in with some black ink splatters.  I used the beautiful gold foil scalloped banner from the Mixed Bag and added some die cuts, stickers, a brad, a chipboard heart and a few fussy cut pieces.  There are also some gold diamond-shaped Rub-Ons on there as well.

Sometimes fussy cutting can be tedious and it takes patience, but I think it's so worth it in the end.  I love the dimension this creates, and it looks awesome with gold thread behind it.  I added some gold thread to the center of that gold butterfly so it appears stitched down.

This "adore" piece is from Market Street, and it matches the look of the layout perfectly, I think.  I like how the layers under it look, and they add that pop of bright pink that you see in the flower cluster.

If you're a fan of shiny gold, this collection does not disappoint.  I love adding bits and pieces of it here and there, and this banner was the perfect addition.  I fussy cut more small flowers to layer over the end of the banner so it looks like it's hanging from them.  I fussy cut that string art heart from one of the 6x6 Paper Pad papers and then added in some word stickers from the Sticker Sheet.

Finally, I added in a few of the light pink and gold alpha stickers here at the bottom and topped it off with a Rub-On and some stitching.  I also added a small tear of tape and then added my date stamp under the golden arrow Rub-On.

I hope this gives you some ideas on what you can do with the My Story collection.  Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

Lake Hike / The Cut Shoppe

Hey there, friends!  I'm back on this rainy Tuesday to share my latest layout for The Cut Shoppe.  I created a Fall-themed page, and I used the Autumn Acorns and Tall Type cut files.  They are just so much fun!

I used the Pink Paislee Cedar Lane collection for this.  I decided to scrap this photo of me and some of my friends on a cold November day by a mountain lake in Georgia.  We hiked all through a mountain trail that day and made our way down to the lake, and it was just beautiful.  I think the colors in this line really bring out the Fall "feel" of the photo.

I used some light kraft cardstock to cut the acorns.  I used some iridescent watercolors and gelatos to give the die cut some shading.  I wanted it to look somewhat weathered and dirty, so I used some browns.  I also splattered a bit of blue ink onto it.  I also used some of the blue watercolors on the background and then stitched with gold thread through each row of acorns once I adhered it down.

I used several patterned papers to back some of the acorns.  I didn't want them all backed, so I left a lot of them open.  I used some items from my stash, such as this flair button and wood veneer piece.  I love the idea of mixing light blue into a fall collection.

Here's a close-up of the acorns.  A few of the little thin strips did tear, but I like the way it looks imperfect.  My cutting mat is almost not sticky anmore, and my blade is close to needing to be replaced.  I used a 5 setting when I cut this, and it came through okay.  I like how you can see a lot of the watercolor from the background through the cut file.  I fussy cut that large flower from a piece of paper and layered it over the photo with some of the coordinating die cuts.

I love these letters turned out!  I cut them using a piece of light grey wood grain paper from the collection, but they blended in too much when I put them down.  So I took some white acrylic paint and dabbed some onto the letters using my finger.  I then used a dark brown gelato to cover the bottoms of the letters to make them look like they had been dipped in mud.  Finally, I added some gold glitter washi tape to back the open spots for a bit of sparkle.  Sometimes dirt and sparkle go together, right?  :D

 

Here's one more look at the acorns.  I also added some gold splatters and did my journaling at the bottom of the design.

Here's the process video if you'd like to see how this layout came together.  I hope it inspires you in some way!

Thanks for stopping by!

Pretty / Hip Kit Club

Hey there!  I hope you all are enjoying your weekend!  I have another layout to share with you today for the Hip Kit Club using the ever-so-beautiful 2015 September Hip Kits!  I seriously can't get enough of these bright yellows and blues.  Did you know that if you're a registered member over at the Hip Kit Club, you get access to our FREE monthly cut files?  Yep...you can download them for free. All of these heart circles on this layout are from one of the August cut file sets.  I simply cut several of them in different sizes with various patterned papers on my Cameo and used them as my background design.

I started with white cardstock and a big chunk of the Dear Lizzy paper with the yellow hearts on it.  It's in the Main Kit.  I covered a lot of that with white gesso and then used a homemade circle stencil and some of the Lemon Zest Dylusions Paint (from last month's Color Kit) to blend in some bright yellow circles.  Next, I used some of the Lemon Twist Paint Dabber (from the May Color Kit) to add a few different shades of yellow, creating a messy watercolor look.

I used a few Project Life cards to layer behind my photos.  I don't do PL, but these cards are amazing every month!  They are made exclusively to go with the kits, so they match perfectly.  I did go around every circle with my sewing machine to stitch them all down.  I also used the same homemade stencil to trace some thin black circles around the page.

Okay, this is my favorite part of the design!  I used a lot of the Dear Lizzy Rub-Ons, and they aren't actually curved.  But when I held them up against the circles, the gave the illusion of wrapping around the circles.  I love how that turned out...they are just so pretty!  And I love the cursive font.

Now this "golden" rub-on I had to cut in half.  It was straight, and I needed it to curve under the circle.  Once I cut it, I was able to position it so it appeared curved.

I love how the layering turned out here.  I used one of the wood chips here and layered this beautiful blue bouquet die cut on top of it.  I heat embossed this "pretty" wood veneer piece with gold embossing powder to make it sparkly.  I did add some yellow paint to it first.

You can see exactly how I put this layout together from start to finish here in my process video if you're interested.  I hope it inspires you somehow!

Thanks so much for watching, and have a wonderful day!

Summer Snapshot / My Scraps & More

Hey friends!  I have a fun layout to share with you today for My Scraps & More.  I used the Echo Park Creative Agenda to create this page for last week's Mix it Up Monday Challenge over on our forums.  The challenge was to use patterned paper as a background, use at least five arrows and create a sideways title.

I found this awesome cut file from The Cut Shoppe.  I cut it in white cardstock and then used lots of patterned papers to back each of the open spots.  Then I stitched through each row.  This is such a fun technique to use for a fun background element.  Next, I added layers behind my photo and played around with all of the coordinating embellishments.

Backing die cuts is super easy...plus it gives you the opportunity to get lots of different patterns and colors on your page without it being too busy.  I added a little bit of journaling at the bottom.

I cut this cute pie chart out from the cut apart sheet in the collection and used it as a layer. I love that it has a rainbow of colors on it.  I also layered a few stickers right onto my photo.

Here's a shot of the big sideways title.  I cut "snapshot" in white cardstock on my Cameo and paired it up with the teal stickers on the sticker sheet.  I love the tone-on-tone effect of the teal shades.  I added a little bit of the coordinating washi tape and a cute camera sticker.  I finished it off with lots of yellow stitching.

Do you like using pop dots?  I think they add so much to the average embellishment.  Not that this is average...I happen to LOVE this rainbow circle!  But look at the dimension it gives from being raised up.  I think it adds so much to the design!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a great weekend!

Off She Goes / CREATE Magazine

Hey there, friends!  I hope you are all doing well today :)  I have a layout to share with you that I had published in the 2015 September issue of Scrapbook Generation's CREATE Magazine.  You can click on that link and download your FREE copy as well as older issues.  There is SO much inspiration in these issues, from so many different scrapbookers and crafters.  There are a variety of styles, so there is something in there for everybody!

I was assigned a themed project, and I chose a Back-to-School theme.  I decided to go with the alphabet, so I pulled out one of my all-time favorite lines...Sketchbook from American Crafts.  I hand drew the alphabet on different patterned papers and then cut them out.  I arranged them in a spiraling circle after adding inks and gelatos to the background.  I machine stitched all the letters down to make sure they weren't going anywhere.  I dug through my American Crafts stash of embellishments (from various collections) and pulled out a few stickers and die cuts.

Those adorable flair buttons are from A Flair For Buttons.

I can't say enough how much I love bright colors and rainbow colors...I just can't ever get sick of using them!  They just suit my daughters so much, and I love using them.  I used a bit of washi tape and papers to layer under my photo and then added some tangled thread under this flair button.

If you don't have an electronic die cutting machine, this is a fun technique to try to make it look like you do.  I didn't use my Cameo at all on this page.  Mixing the background inks and paints with the colorful letters made this so fun to put together!  I added a title in black Thickers to make them stand out, and then added the black splatters to finish it off.

I added a few heart stickers here and there (I think they are Heidi Swapp), and I used some of my Color Shine to color that cute Studio Calico wood veneer heart.

Here's one more close up...I'm really excited with how this turned out.  I highly recommend drawing something and fussy cutting it out!  It will be totally unique and no one else will have the same thing!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Make sure to check out all of the other amazing projects in the September issue!

Have a great day!

Love This Messy Hair / Shimmerz Ed Team + a video!

Hey there, scrappy friends :)  I'm so excited to be sharing my first layout and process video as a Shimmerz Education Team Member!  I have switched over from the Design Team.  I used so many awesome Shimmerz products on this layout.  I was first inspired by a piece of patterned paper...that lovely pink and orange piece from the Amy Tan Finders Keepers collection from American Crafts.  I selected several products in variations of pinks and oranges and got started in this white and grey grid background paper.

I used an American Crafts flower stencil and some Spritz and Vibez.  I've seen Irit (from the Education Team) use this same stencil several times, and she inspired me to use it.  I simply sprayed the Spritz and Vibez through the stencil to get my background design started.  I added in lots of splatters as well.  Making those awesome flowers was so much fun!  I used the stencil, a paint brush, my finger and some Creameez & Inklingz.  (All of the colors that I used are listed below).

I love how the flowers turned out very messy and abstract.  I fussy cut them out, and when they dried, they naturally curled up at the ends.  Perfect for a flower!  I used a flair button in the center of each one.  These flowers are so pretty....they have a mix of sparkle and satin finish.

I added some stamping to this area of the layout and mixed and matched my title with some Thickers, alpha stickers and a hand-written word.  Check out the shine on the flowers!  So beautiful.

I just love how these colors look mixed in the black & white photo.  You really should try creating your own color scheme with all of your Shimmerz products and use a black and white picture....it's really freeing to not have to work around colors in a photo sometimes.

Here you can see the shape created with the stencil and the Spritz & Vibez.  I love the effect of simply spraying those products.  You get such a gorgeous effect when you mix them together.

Here is my process video...you can see here how each and every part of this layout was created. I hope you enjoy it and are able to get some ideas from it!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a wonderful day!

Here are the products I used: 

Spritz--Caribbean Sunset, Cotton Candy

Vibez--Mango Tango, Sweet Heart, Before Dawn

Dazzlerz--Dreamscicle

Creameez--Piggy Pink, Great Fruit

Inklingz--Bahama Mama, Beets Me, She Packs a Punch

Love This Funny Girl / Hip Kit Club + October Kits Reveal!

Hey there, friends!  Today I'm sharing another layout I created for Hip Kit Club using the beautiful 2015 September Hip Kits.  I was really inspired by this awesome ampersand patterned paper from Dear Lizzy.  Since it's busy, I used lots of white gesso to tone down some of the pattern.  The gesso helps to fade things out so they look kind of washed out.  After that, I used various inks to create a watercolor effect.  I show exactly how I did this in my process video below.

I used a few Project Life cards as layers behind the photo and one of the cut-aparts from the Amy Tan sheet which is in the Paper Kit.  I also used some of the slate cardstock to create and cut a large ampersand on my Cameo for another embellishment.  There are several pieces in the kits with ampersands, so I made sure to include them on this layout.

Here you can see some of the watercolor on the background and the machine stitching.  I love the texture of the cardstock!  It's so simple yet so striking and interesting at the same time.  I cut that big circle piece from a Project Life card.  That red ticket is a rub-on that I adhered to white cardstock and then cut out so I could place it where I wanted with dimension.  I just love the Dear Lizzy puffy stickers...and this pink one had an ampersand on it!

I hope you got your hands on the Color Kit this month because these Elle's Studio alpha stamps are beyone awesome!  The Color Kit also includes three Distress Markers, and I used the Blueprint Sketch color to give these letters some shading.  They do react with water, especially with gesso behind them.  I used dark grey thread to stitch around all the background layers as well as a giant circle around the entire design.

One of my favorite parts of this layout...the wood veneer!  I coated it with white gesso and then used gelatos to shade it.  I traced the edges with a black Sharpie to make it stand out a bit more.  I used one of the Amy Tan tags here, and I added in a few more rub-ons, die cuts, wood veneer and enamel hearts.

I just LOVE these tall skinny Thickers...I wish I had every color of them!  I added my journaling right onto the background here and curved my stamping to match the circle.

Here's the process video to this layout if you're interested in watching how it came together.

And now I'd love to share the 2015 October Hip Kits!!  They should be shipping in a few weeks....they are SO pretty!!

Main Kit

Embellishment Kit

Paper Kit

Cardstock Kit

Color Kit

Project Life Kit

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!  Check out Hip Kit Club to see more about all of these kits and the blog to get tons of inspiration from the Design Team.  And you can also join in on our Facebook Group to take part in challenges and share all of your awesome work!

Have a great day!

Body Pump Strong / A Flair For Buttons

Happy Weekend, scrappy friends!  I'm so excited to share my newest layout for A Flair For Buttons with you today featuring the awesome Work Out Flair Set!  I have been wanting to use these for quite some time, and I finally did.  I am a fitness instructor, and I teach three different classes at our local gym.  Les Mills Body Pump is one of them, and these photos are from one of my Friday night classes.  It's a weightlifting class, and these flair were so perfect for this subject!

I used a very old Studio Calico collection called Snippets.  I used a few of the patterned papers and embellishments mainly because I liked the colors.  Body Pump colors are red and black, so I liked that plus it had the colors mixed in that were in the group picture.  I jazzed up my white cardstock background with some spray inks and a triangle stencil first and then added a cut file and my layers.



This flair is my favorite...that is exactly what our bar looks like when it's loaded with weighted plates!  Plus we are all flexing in the photo :)  I did some machine stitching around the page and added this cute arrow clip.



Even if you don't lift weights, this red EXERCISE flair is perfect for any workout.  I layered it over some tangled thread and a circle stamp.  I love mixing and matching stamps on a layout.  These are Jillibean Soup and Heidi Swapp.  The die cut is from the Studio Calico collection.

 

This is another one of my favorite flair buttons!  I just had to use it.  I layered it over this circle I cut from patterned paper and some washi tape.

 

I mixed and matched my title here using a die cut, some very old felt Thickers and some newer red foam Thickers.  This flair looked perfect in this spot, so I adhered it down in a nest of tangled thread.  I wrote a few sentences under the title and added a date stamp.

 

One more close-up here of the background.  I love using inks and stenciles!  I love the subtle yet messy and random look they can give.  So much fun!

Work Out Flair

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Have a great weekend!