Vegas Mini Album / Paige Evans Design Team

Happy Friday, friends!  It's practically the weekend...yesssss!  I'm excited to share my newest project today for the Paige Evans Design Team.  It's a mini album!  Technically, this is my first mini album made from scratch.  I've made a few in years past from pre-made chipboard or cardboard albums.  For this one, I searched in the Silhouette Store and found this adorable suitcase template.  I knew I had to use it to create some fun memories of a recent trip to Las Vegas with my sister.  It was perfect!  It helped me get out of my comfort zone of just making layouts, and it was a lot of fun to work on a smaller scale.

I combined all three of Paige's collections for this...Oh My Heart, Take Me Away and Fancy Free.  I love how they all mix and match so well together.

I love how tiny and cute this turned out!  For my cover, I added a bit of white cardstock covered with gesso.  I added some blue, pink and yellow Shimmerz sprays as well as some gold Color Shine.  You have to have some shiny gold for anything Vegas related, right? :)  I overlapped the colorful Oh My Heart Thickers with some shiny gold thread underneath.  I tied it all up with some pink embroidery thread and added some of the adorable Oh My Heart Charms.

When you open it, it looks like an accordion. I love this style of album because I know it’s not going to fall apart when it’s opened. It was easy to embellish each page and I kept it pretty flat so it folds back up nicely without too much bulk.

It spreads out flat very easily as well. I like how I can see all the pages at once. It’s big enough to hold just enough of my photos but small enough that it’s short, sweet, and to the point.

 For the first spread, I started with Paper 05 from Take Me Away. It has Nevada on it which was perfect! I used a photo of us on the plane. The “here we go” stickers are from the Oh My Heart Sticker Book. I added a foiled heart die cut from the Fancy Free Ephemera Die Cuts and stitched through it. I used Paper 04 from Fancy Free for my second background and then used the “weekend” square from Oh My Heart Paper 16 and a Fancy Free die cut. I loved mixing and matching the collections!

My next two pages have Fancy Free Paper 12 and a 6x6 Paper Pad piece. Again, I mixed and matched. The flower die cut is from the Take Me Away Ephemera Die Cuts, the dotted piece is from the Fancy Free Ephemera Die Cuts, and I fussy cut the clipboard from Oh My Heart Paper 16. I also tucked in an Oh My Heart Puffy Sticker under the photo.  For the next page, I used more of the Take Me Away Ephemera Die Cuts and Fancy Free 6x6 Paper Pad. The black “More Fun” circle was cut from Oh My Heart Paper 16, and the “selfie” sticker is from the Sticker Book.

I decided not to use a photo on the next page. Instead, I broke things up by using a cut apart 3x4 piece from Fancy Free Paper 01 as my background. I used one of the Fancy Free acetate Ephemera pieces and stitched it down. Page six has Take Me Away Paper 09 as the background and a fussy cut piece from Oh My Heart Paper 16 again. I got a lot of use from that one paper! I added some tangled thread for a pop of aqua.

For the next page, I used Take Me Away Paper 20 for my background. I kept it simple by just adding a fussy cut ticket from Oh My Heart Paper 16 and a “weekend trip” tag from the Take Me Away Ephemera Die Cuts. I used the back of Take Me Away Paper 05 for the background of the last page. I layered another cut out from Oh My Heart Paper 16, added some thread, and called it done. I did go back and do some machine stitching on each page and added a small bit of journaling!

I had so much fun making this little album!  I am really happy with how it turned out.  I surprised myself, honestly...because I'm so used to just making 12x12 layouts.  I hope you like it....and if you'd like to watch how I made it, here's the video:

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Paige's World / Precious Remembrance Shop Guest Designer

Happy Thursday, friends!  I'm back today with something special...I'm the Guest Designer over at Precious Remembrance Shop.  I am excited to share my first of three layouts using some really awesome stamp sets.  I jumped at the chance to be a guest when Dyane invited me, and I can tell you that these stamps are the bomb!

I used stamps from three sets on this page:  Happy Art, Totally and Date Stamp Sets.  These are all available in the Precious Remembrance Shop.

I started with some white cardstock and that amazing scribble stamp.  You know I love getting messy, and it totally reminded me of tangled thread!  It also reminded me of my youngest child, who is a wild Tasmanian Devil...haha :D  I used a photo strip of of some of her silly faces.  I used the new Amy Tangerine Oh a Whim collection and just hand cut her name using some of the 6x6 papers.  I used some pink, yellow and blue inks on the background.  I stamped the scribble stamp using black Archival Ink and made it look all messy like her hair.  I used a few stickers and die cuts around the page, and I cut "world" on my Cameo using the Shoreline font.  How many other stamps can you see around the page?

Check out the scribble!  That one is my favorite.  I also used the ink splatter from the same set.  It's perfect for creating that messy splattered splotch look.  I added some tissue paper behind my photos and some adhesive foam.

I used a few different stamps down here at the bottom as well.  The LOL / HAHA one is from the Totally Stamp Set, and I used the Date Stamp Set to create the date.  I journaled on a few of the Amy Tan die cuts and added some machine stitching around the page.  The "Do Your Thing" is a clear Amy Tan sticker.

I love how wonky these letters look.  I love that they're bright and imperfect.

Here's another stamp from the Happy Art Set.  I stamped it on some scrap cardstock and then fussy cut it out so I could arrange it like this.  It's the perfect sentiment for this page!  She is a hot little mess, and I do love it! :D

Here's one more look at the area below the photo.  I love mixing and matching fonts, so I did that for my title.  I also love that "boss babe" die cut...haha!  Because we all know she may be the tiniest person in the house, but she IS the boss!

I have a process video of this page...I hope you enjoy watching it come together.  Hopefully you'll be inspired!

Check out the Precious Remembrance Shop and see all the amazing stamps there!  You'll definitely want some! :D

Thanks again for stopping by...have a great day!

Hello Love / Cocoa Vanilla Studio

Hello again!  I'm back today to share my newest layout for Cocoa Vanilla Studio.  I was up on the blog last Friday.  I used the new Wild At Heart collection, and I just love all the deep rich colors.  I decided to go a bit abstract and artsy with this, so I chose a neutral patterned paper for my background.  This light grey and white wood grain was perfect.  I covered a lot of it with white gesso first and then used a lot of coordinating Shimmerz sprays.  I used the packaging technique as well as just directly spraying the mist onto the paper. 

I used a fun cut file from The Cut Shoppe and cut several pinwheel shapes from different papers.  I arranged them messily on the background along with some tangled thread. I adhered them down and stitched through a lot of them with my sewing machine.  I embellished with Chipboard Stickers, Wood Veneer, Cardstock Stickers and a Flair Button.

I love how this came out.  Sometimes I just like random shapes just because they look cool :)  I've used this cut file a few times on previous pages, and it always looks awesome.  I used the large LOVE chipboard stickers as part of my title here, and I added a few arrow stickers.  I love how the background work shows through the shapes.

To add to the messy factor here, I added some tangled thread throughout the page.  That's one of my favorite things to do, and I don't even know why...other than I love how it looks!  I added three wood veneer hearts around the page, and that piece down below is a Rubber Charm...it's adorable!

I love this dimension!  I used one of the Flair Buttons to complete my title here.

The fun thing about using shapes like this is the ends curl up.  This works with flowers and leaves, too.  Just glue down the centers and not the whole piece, and the edges will lift off the page and create a fun 3D effect.

For layering behind my photo, I added a bit of tissue paper from my stash as well as a few scraps left over from cutting the shapes.  I added a cute "perfect" tab sticker up top.

Here's one more look below the photo.  I added another sticker and a chipboard arrow piece and then my journaling.

This is such a beautiful collection to work with...I hope you love it, too!  Here's my process video if you'd like to check it out...

Thanks so much for visiting me today...have a good one!

Happy Happy / Hip Kit Club

Happy Monday, y'all!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend :)  Today I'm sharing my newest layout for Hip Kit Club.  I used the 2017 March Hip Kits, and they are just so pretty.  I decided to use all the items from the Color Kit, which includes two Shimmerz Paste-eez and a fun lattice stencil.  I combined the Raspberry Sherbet and Hold the Mustard over the stencil on white cardstock.  I got some pretty orange tones where they overlapped.  Once that dried I added some blue sprays from my stash to get that pretty periwinkle color. 

I was first inspired to start this layout with the patchwork squares paper from the Paige Evans Oh My Heart collection.  Originally, I planned to have half scalloped circle banners going all across the page, but once I created my background it just seemed too distracting and busy.  So I just used a few of them to create one small banner.  I wanted to create that pretty periwinkle color in the banner andin some of the floral die cuts, so that's what inspired by color scheme.

Once I got my background and the banner finished, I started embellishing.  This cute bird die cut is from the Dear Lizzy Lovely Day collection, and it looked adorable perched on top of the banner.  I added some foam and tangled thread under it.  I combined one of the Pinkfresh Studio Puffy Stickers with the Dear Lizzy metallic Thickers for my title.

I just love these gorgeous flower die cuts!  Especially the rose gold one...look how it shines!  I layered them here as well as some more of the Pinkfresh Puffy Stickers.  Those black flowers are from the Dear Lizzy Washi Tape.  I fussy cut them and I love how they look!  Almost like stamps.

More Dear Lizzy here...this cute wooden flag fit perfectly right here.  I also added in some of the Pinkfresh Studio phrase cardstock stickers and stitched through them.  I love how the background looks...such a fun blend of colors.

Beneath the photo area, I did some machine stitching and my journaling.  I added in more of the washi tape and one of the exclusive Hip Kit flair buttons and enamel dots.

Look how awesome the washi tape looks!  It looks hand doodled or stamped...I love it!  I also tucked in one of the Pinkfresh Leatherette stickers...what a cool product those are!

Here's one more close-up of the background...my favorite!

If you'd like to see how I made this page, you can see it here!  I hope you enjoy and get some fun ideas to try!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have an awesome day!

Embrace Being You / Shimmerz Education Team

Hey, friends!  Happy Weekend....yeah!  I'm back to share a new layout for the Shimmerz Education Team combining a ton of Shimmerz Paints.  I've had this gorgeous geometric heart cut file in my files for a while.  It's from Just Nick Studio, and I decided to cut it on some white cardstock and create my own stencil.  I placed the stencil over another sheet of white cardstock and went to town with all kinds of Shimmerz.

I used some of the new Paste-eez and Acritonez as well as some Coloringz, Vibez, Inklingz and Creameez.  I used an old credit card to smudge some paste over the stencil, and I used some plastic packaging, a brush, my finger...a little bit of everything!  I embellished with some bits and pieces from an old Hip Kit, including some exclusive die cuts and stickers.  I also fussy cut some flowers from a Simple Stories paper, some Crate Paper rubber charms, some wood veneer and a Freckled Fawn puffy word sticker.

To get this beautiful and colorful background, I used some washi tape to hold the stencil to the background paper.  Since the inner pieces are so thin, I had to apply all the Shimmerz very carefully so I wouldn't tear them.  I mixed and match so many of the colors.  I also added some splattering.  Here you can see how gorgeous the colors look together.  This is a mix of Paste-eez Raspberry Sherbet & Hold the Mustard as well as Acritonez Pinkadelic, Coloringz Pretty in Pink, Mandarin Mai Tai, Vibez Sweetheart and Inklingz Beets Me.

I used lots of blues and aquas including Acritonez Blue My Top, Coloringz Well Blue Me Down & Heidi Ho Blue, Vibez Snow Way Man, Inklingz Me & Blue and Blue Lagoon.  I used a few of the Hip Kit Project Life cards as layers behind my photo and then layered the flowers around the edges.  I also added some fun foam under it for dimension as well as some tangled thread.

I just love how this turned out!  I made sure to let the pinks dry first before coming in with the blues.  You can see how the blue stands out on top of the pink.  That's because I let it dry before mixing.

I love how easily the Shimmerz products blend and work together.  The pastes blend with the acrylics, and they blend with the liquids as well.  You can't beat that :)

Here's one more close up of the photo area.  The dimension here turned out really nice.  I love the shadowing it creates!

I have a process video to share of this page...I hope you enjoy and get some inspiration!

Supplies Used:

Paste-eez--Raspberry Sherbet, Hold the Mustard

Acritonez--Pinkadelic, Blue My Top

Coloringz--Pretty in Pink, Mandarin Mai Tai, Well Blue Me Down, Heidi Ho Blue

Vibez--Sweetheart, Snow Way Man

Inklingz--Me & Blue, Blue Lagoon, Beets Me

Creameez--Just Peachie

And don't forget about how you can get a FREE product when you shop in the Shimmerz Store!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful day!

Everyday / Simple Stories

Happy Friday, friends!  Today I'm sharing my final layout for Simple Stories Creative Team.  I will not be returning to the team for the next term.  I have had a wonderful year with the team, and I know the new team will knock your socks off with inspiration!  A huge thank you to Layle for giving me a chance and for always being so supportive of my crazy mixed media style :)

For this page, I used the adorable Domestic Bliss collection.  I was inspired by the "Home is where my bunch of crazies are" 3x4 cut apart and knew I had to use that.  I decided to go with a grid design and used two photos about the same size.  I used another cut apart with a house to echo the "home" part.  These silly photos are of my children wearing a pair of goofy glasses, and they just make me laugh!  They are definitely my little "crazies" and I love them that way :)

Overall, this is simple page for my style.  I used some kraft cardstock as my background and covered a lot of it with white gesso.  I used some Shimmerz sprays using the packaging technique to create four sections of color.  I stitched right through the center using grey thread.

I decided to use a really big title in the center, and I used the Shoreline font and cut this on my Cameo on white cardstock.  I stitched through it for added detail.  here you can see the fun little stickers I added, including Clear Stickers and some from the 4x6 sheets.  I did add some foam under everything to give it some lift.

I used a few bits of patterned paper behind my photos as well as some tissue paper and tangled thread.  I used some cute LOVE stickers here.

On the side of this photo, I used some TODAY letters I fussy cut from patterned paper.  Again, I added tangled thread and a cute "Work it, girl, sticker.

Finally, I had to add this cute chipboard house and a brad.  I just love how simple and fun this turned out!  The products shine as well as the photos.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I've had a wonderful year sharing my Simple Stories layouts with you.  I hope you've enjoyed them!

Have a great day!

Bloom / Paige Evans Design Team

It's me again....I'm back!  I have a new layout up on the Paige Evans Blog today, and this week we are all about stitching.  There have been some really beautiful Pink Paislee Oh My Heart cut files added to the Silhouette Store recently, and I just had to use one as a stitching template.  I used a Sketch Pen in my Cameo and drew the shapes.  I punched little holes all through the lines and then hand stitched with different colors of embroidery thread.  It did take me over the course of three days to get it all stitched, but the end result was worth it!  I used gelatos and some Shimmerz Paints to color inside the flowers and leaves.  It was a lot of fun adding all the shading.

I used mostly embellishments for this page.  I used some Oh My Heart Ephemera, Chipboard Stickers and a Puffy Sticker.  I also used some of the Take Me Away Chipboard Stickers and Ephemera.

I think this turned out absolutely beautiful!  I love the awesome texture the stitching gives.  It was fun coloring and smudging the gelatos to create different shades.  I also used a tiny brush with my Shimmerz to add even more lights and darks.

I layered in two frames behind my photo...one from each collection.  I layered in some of the Oh My heart flower die cuts and a cute Puffy Sticker.  I fussy cut a few of the small orange flowers from Paper 13, which was left over from my previous layout.  I went simple with my title and used the colorful Oh My Heart Thickers.

I used three different colors of thread for the leaves just to make it a little more interesting.  I love that once you have an area stitched, it makes the rest of the layout come together pretty quickly.  It's a fixed design and you can't move it around, so it limits what you can do on the rest of the page.

Here's a closer look at all those layered flowers...so pretty!  For my background here, I used some of the gelatos and Shimmerz again with some plastic packaging to create some smudges and splotches behind my photo area.

And one final close-up of that gorgeous flower.  I really love adding color, texture and dimension to my pages...it makes all the difference :)

Here's my process video if you'd like to check out how I made this...I hope you enjoy!

Thanks again for stopping by!  See you soon!