LOVE / Paige Evans DT

Hey, friends! Happy Friday...woo hoo!  I have a new layout to share for the Paige Evans Design Team combining four of Paige’s collections. I mostly used the Pick-Me-Up collection, but I also used some papers from Turn the Page, Oh My Heart, and Take Me Away collections.

I began with Paige’s LoveLoveLoveLove cut file. I cut each letter using a different patterned paper from the various collections. I decided to add smaller photos behind each of the Os and create a diagonal design. I used white cardstock as my background and jazzed it up using some Distress Oxides inks and Shimmerz Paints. I added some texture with a lined stencil and modeling paste. I embellished with lots of little goodies from the Pick-Me-Up collection.  I also added a bit of color to the edges of the layout using Pick-Me-Up Paper 16 with some fussy cut flowers from Paper 02.

I added dimensional foam behind all the photos to make them stand up a bit and added matching thread under them for additional texture. I embellished around the photos with Pick-Me-Up Puffy Stickers, bits from the Haberdashery Multi-Pack, and some fussy cut pieces from the 6x6 Paper Pad and 2x2 Paper Pads. I did the same thing in coordinating colors for each of the photos. Here I added mostly yellow pieces.

Here you can see the coordinating embellishments for the darker blue and aqua areas. I love how the modeling paste on the background turned out. Such a simple thing, yet it creates so much detail! It’s fun to create monochromatic areas on a layout like this. It helps you decide what to use in a specific area since you are limited to one color. Plus it’s fun to sort through all of your goodies to see what you have!

If you haven't gotten your hands on some adhesive foam, you should.  It makes such a difference.  I love how it raises up the photos here.  It makes it easier to tuck things in underneath, like die cuts and thread.  Plus the shadow it creates makes it look so cool :)

I'm really happy with how this background turned out.  A simple stencil and some modeling paste can really jazz up a sheet of white cardstock.

Here are a few more close-ups of the fun papers, colors and background.

I hope this gives you some inspiration.  Even if you don't have a die cutting machine, you can still use punches to create shaped photos.  It's fun to change things up every once in a while!  Be sure to check out my process video here to see how I created this from start to finish.

Thanks so much for visiting me today, and have a fantastic weekend!

Happy Sisters / Using Older Supplies

Happy Wednesday, lovely friends :)  Today I'm sharing a layout I created using some very old supplies from my hoarded stash.  I used the Echo Park Life is Good collection from 2010.  It was the first EP collection I ever laid eyes on, and I fell in love with instantly.  This was back when the EP collections were just paper and stickers.  I wanted to use some of it and make it more my current style.  I used a pink patterned paper from the collection as my background, and I added some color and texture.  I used white gesso first and then some white texture paste through a small grid stencil.  I used some Distress Oxides to add all that pretty color.

I wanted to use a few of the papers for a large title, so I created "sisters" using a script font and separated each letter.  I cut each letter on a different paper. Then I welded the word together and cut it as one using white cardstock.  I wanted to create a shadow behind the colored letters.  I did use a black pen to make it stand out a bit more.

I fussy cut some flowers from one of the papers to layer behind the photo as well as a brown scalloped frame sticker.  I love how the background texture turned out.  It's so fun adding bumpy texture!  I also added a few MAMBI stickers for accents.

I created some more dimension by adding some foam under the photo here as well as more bits of paper.  I pulled out a few Technique Tuesday stamps from my stash and stamped them on vellum with gold ink.  Stamps are a fun way to create your own embellishments.

I love how this turned out!  I added an EP sticker here as well as a MAMBI sticker.

I never thought I'd like how brown looks on a page, but for some reason I really liked this one.  I created another stamp sentiment here and added some green thread.

Here's one more shot of the fun colors and background texture :)

Do you still own any of this collection?  It was fun to pull it out and make something with it.  I still have a lot of it left, so I can't wait to make another project with it.  Be sure to check out my process video here to see how I created this page.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful day :)

Happy Laughs / Hip Kit Club

Hey, friends!  I'm back today with a new layout for Hip Kit Club.  I used the 2018 March Hip Kits to create this layout, and I also used one of the exclusive subscriber cut files designed by Kimberly.  I began by cutting the flowers on white cardstock and backing them with various papers from the Main Kit.  I wanted to make them a little more dimensional, so I used some of the Vicki Boutin Watercolors from the Color Kit to add darker shades to them.  I fussy cut some leaves from the Crate Paper lemon sheet as well.  I used the Turquoise Mist cardstock as my background and added a lot of watercolor to it.

Here you can see the color variations on the flowers.  I used one of the woodgrain chipboard Thickers from the Main Kit as part of my title.  I didn’t want it to be brown so I coated it with white gesso first.  I used some blue watercolor and the Vicki Boutin Glitter Glaze to color it.  I fussy cut “laughs” from a 4×6 Project Life card.  I love the how the rainbow colors match the flowers.

I fit my journaling right underneath the title and above the flower I added at the bottom.

 

I layered the cut file flowers all around the photo as well as on three sides of the page.  I like the look of running shapes off the edge.  I did add some tangled thread around the photo as well.

Hello texture and dimension!  I tucked in a few floral goodies here…a Crate Paper sticker, a pebbles die cut and a Simple Stories chipboard phrase sticker.  It’s so neat how all these different manufacturers can coordinate together.

I did use a few of the Gold Foil Rub-Ons.  I painted over them with some white gesso to tone down the shine, and I love how it turned out.

And one more close-up just because I took a million…haha!

I hope this gives you some fun ideas to try on your next layout.  Be sure to check out all the beautiful kits in the store, and also check out my process video here to see how this page all came together.

Thanks for stopping in, and have a great day!

Beautiful Forever / Mixed Media Layout

Hey, friends!  I have a fun layout to share today using lots of white cardstock and lots of mixed media goodness.  I was totally and completely inspired by Paige Evans.  She recently created a layered butterfly layout where she used a lot of mixed media and her Butterfly Background cut file.  I fell in love with the process and her end result and I just had to try it and make my own layout!  I am loving how it came out so much!

My favorite part of this page is that it's basically made from plain white cardstock.  I coated one sheet with white gesso first and then pulled out lots of my gelatos.  I scribbled lots of color onto an acrylic stamping block, spritzed it with water and then "stamped" it down onto the cardstock.  Paige did this with art crayons, and like I said, I felt compelled to try it :)  Once the paper was covered with lots of color and was dry, I ran it through my Cameo and cut out all the butterflies.  I continued to color them by adding more gelatos and Shimmerz.  Then I stacked them all together and ran them through my sewing machine.

Would you look at how pretty these turned out?!  This looks complicated, but it really was just making a mess and then letting the Cameo do all the work.  I finished each stack off with a little sequin in the center.  I loved how Paige added black paint to her background, so I tried something similar.  I squirted a bit of black acrylic paint on the cardstock and then just scraped it over the page with a palette knife.  I did the same with some light blue paint.

I watered down the paints and added some splatters, and I also splattered down some Heidi Swapp Gold Color Shine.  I decided to leave the white thread nice, long and loose on the butterflies to add to the messy factor :)

I used these two photos of my daughter, and since I had some black empty space here in the center, I added a smaller butterfly stack on top of the photos.  I also added in a few older Pink Paislee Citrus Bliss puffy heart stickers.

I also added in some Tim Holtz phrase stickers in a few places.  I'm really loving these butterflies...they're just so pretty!

I used a few random MAMBI stickers here at the bottom for the title and added the date.  I added some pink and orange Distress Ink down here below the photos to add another pop of color along with some pink tangled thread.

Here are a few more close-ups just because....all the heart eyes!

I really hope you give this a try if you love making mixed media projects.  It was SO MUCH FUN!  And you could do this with any shapes.  Circles would be cool!  I do have a process video here so you can see how easy this really is.

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

Egg Toss / Hip Kit Club

Hello again, lovely friends :)  I'm back today with my newest layout for the Hip Kit Club.  This is my first page using the beautiful new 2018 March Kits.  Kimberly created this gorgeous egg cut file for subscribers, and I couldn't wait to use it on a project.  It's very intricate, so it took a while to cut.  I attempted to back it with patterned paper but quickly decided against that once I realized how long it would take...haha!  I opted to cut it using the beautiful marbled Dear Lizzy paper from the Main Kit, and I love how it turned out.  I added lots of color behind the cut file using the Color Kit, which contains the new Vicki Boutin Watercolors!

I wanted pinks, yellows and teals on the background, so I smudged some gesso down first and then came in with the watercolors.  I used some plastic packaging to smoosh the color around, and I also used my brush.  I love how it looks with the cut file on top!  I also used my palette knife to scrape on some of the Dina Wakley Lemon Yellow paint from last month's Color Kit.  I adhered the cut file and then machine stitched around it a few times.

I went simple with my title and used these pretty fabric print Thickers from the Embellishment Kit.  I fussy cut a few flowers from one of the Dear Lizzy papers as well as some butterflies from a Project Life card.  I love all this fun texture and dimension!

I love Spring photos, and these are of my youngest wild child throwing her Easter eggs around the yard.  She had no interest in finding them...she just wanted to toss them around :)   Here under the photo I layered a piece of a chipboard frame, a Maggie Holmes flower sticker and another fussy cut butterfly.

More lovely fussy cut flowers and some yellow thread.  I layered the other half of that frame under the bottom photo along with another Maggie flower sticker.

Here are a few more close-ups of the beautiful egg cut file just because I love it so much :)

I hope this inspires you in some way.  It was fun to put together!  Here's my process video showing how I made this from start to finish:

Thank you for stopping in today, and have a great Wednesday!

Happiness / Paige Evans DT

Happy Tuesday, friends! I have a fun & bright layout to share for the Paige Evans Design Team using the Pick-Me-Up collection. I began by cutting Paige’s Rainbows Background cut file from some white cardstock and using it as a stencil. I placed it over some smooth white cardstock and then used a palette knife to scrape lots of colored texture pastes over it. I also used a few ink sprays. I wanted to get a lot of the deep and rich colors on the background, mainly the pinks, reds, and mustard yellow. I decided to scrap a pool photo since it had lots of blue in it and I love how it contrasts against the deep background colors. I fussy cut a few flower clusters from Paper 02 and layered them around the photo.

Using cut files as stencils is another fun way to add interest to your layout. I love the shapes this one created. It makes such a cool background. Once it was dry, I came back in with more of the sprays and used the packaging technique to spread more color around. I added in some blue sprays to play off the color in the photo. To add even more texture, I layered in some coordinating colors of thread along with some floral Stickers.

Since I had some white empty space on the left side of my photo, I layered the flower clusters over it.  I tucked in some Stickers and a Rub-On. I added my journaling right under the bottom of the mixed media area of the page.

I created a title cluster down on the bottom half of the page using lots of items from the Pick-Me-Up collection. I used some of the Chipboard Stickers and Mini Thickers to create the title and then added some more Rub-Ons and Stickers.

I really love how these bright colors blended together.  Here you can see lots of dimension created under and around the photo.  I layered in some tissue paper and adhesive foam under the photo as well as some pink and coral tangled thread.

Here are a few more close-ups of all the awesome color & texture.  I get carried away with close-ups...haha!

I really love how this turned out. I hope it inspires you to try using a cut file as a stencil to make your own background design or embellishments or even patterned paper.  Be sure to check out my process video here for more details on how I put this all together:

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great week!