Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Awesome Sweetness / Hip Kit Club

Hello again, friends!  I have a new layout to share for Hip Kit Club today.  I used the 2019 June Hip Kits, and they are SO bright and fun!  I couldn't decide on a specific color scheme, so I just went with ALL the colors...haha!  There are so many bits and pieces from Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope and Heidi Swapp Color Fresh.  I used an older heart cut file from February and created lots of different sized hearts.  My idea was to layer them together and use them as a big design element.  I used some of the beautiful orange Mango cardstock from the Cardstock Kit as my background and added lots of mixed media to it.


I used lots of patterned papers as well as some of the Pocket Life cards to create the hearts.  I distressed the edges, glued them in layers and then machine stitched down the centers.  I created lots of texture on the background.  I started with white gesso and then used modeling paste over the stencil from the Color Kit.  Once that dried, I used some of the Lindy's Gang Magical Powders to add lots of pink and orange color.


I love how these hearts turned out!  This was a fun and easy way to get lots of color & patterns on the page.  Once they were made, it was just a matter of where to arrange them in relation to my photo.  I added in lots of the Vicki Boutin Chipboard Stickers and some of the Heidi Swapp Sticker Book Stickers, which are mostly vellum and transparent.


Here you can see the awesome background texture from the stencil and paste.  The Lindy's Gang Magicals are so fun...just add a bit of water to a little bit of the powder and you get instant watercolor.  I used a brush and water to spread it around the page.  I also used a few Shimmerz sprays from previous kits to add some variation on the colors.  I also added in some tangled thread for even more texture and pops of color.


Here I added more lovely Vicki Boutin goodies...chipboard, floral die cuts, puffy stickers.


I used one of the Heidi Swapp stickers for my title.  I first stuck it to some vellum and then cut it out to make it stand out more on the photo.  The other stickers below that are also from the Sticker Book.  I tucked in a few of the Vicki Boutin stickers as well.


Here are some more close-ups of all the color & details :)





I hope this inspires you in some way!  These kits definitely inspire me...I can't get enough of all the colors!  You can see how this all came together here in my process video:



Thank you so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful Wednesday!


Friday, June 21, 2019

Paradise / Paige Evans DT

Happy Friday, friends!  I have a new layout to share today for the Paige Evans DT using Paige’s new Heart Confetti Stencil (available next week!) and Heart Swirls cut file. I couldn’t wait to use this stencil to create some awesome background texture. I cut the heart on Horizon Paper 03 because I just had to use all the rainbow colors again. Cutting the heart in the center of this paper allowed me to get ALL the colors in. I used thick white cardstock as my background and scraped modeling paste over the stencil around the edges of where the cut file would be. I wanted hearts and texture peeking all around the outside of the heart. Once that dried, I used a rainbow array of spray inks to create a watercolor effect around the heart.


I did apply clear gesso to the background first to allow all the inks to spread and blend into one another. I simply sprayed each color right onto the paper, spritzed a bit of water over it, and let the colors do their thing. I love how the color runs around the hearts. Modeling paste is awesome for this! Once the background was dry, I attached the cut file down. I then went through all of the Horizon embellishments and added bits and pieces in according to color. I love the tone-on-tone effect. Here I used the StickersEpoxy StickersChipboard StickersEphemera Die Cuts, and even a few floral bits fussy cut from the 6x8 Paper Pad.


I love how the colors on the background match the colors on the heart. I softened up the colors on the die cut by smudging a bit of white gesso over it before attaching it to the background. I layered some Ephemera Die Cuts behind my photo as well as a bit of pink paper from the 6x8 Paper Pad. I added some tissue paper for more texture and adhesive foam for dimension.


This “paradise” Epoxy Sticker matched perfectly in this spot for my title. I also wanted to show that you can use a travel-themed title for an everyday photo. I added a few green hearts to the right of the photo along with some matching tangled thread. I machine stitched through the bottom part of the title for added detail. I also stitched around the outer perimeter of the layout since I layered the background onto another sheet of white cardstock.


I love how the "paradise" Epoxy sticker matches the background colors!  It just happened to work out like that, and I couldn't be more excited about it...haha!


Have I ever mentioned how much I love texture?  Haha...yes, just about every single page I make :D  Since the background was very textured and the cut file is so intricate, I used a sheet of tiny sticky dots to attach it.  It's from Thermoweb, and you can find it HERE.


More gorgeous texture and beautifully blended rainbow colors!


I trimmed off the white edges of this floral die cut.  I felt like the white stood out too much.  By cutting it off, it helped the florals to blend in a bit better and not draw your eye straight there instead of the photo.


A few more close-ups...



I really had a blast making this! Did you pre-order this stencil? It’s awesome in every way and you will love the texture it adds to your pages! I hope you get some inspiration from this or an idea or two for your next project. Be sure to check out my process video for even more details!


Thank you so much for stopping by, and see you again soon!

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Awesome Weekend / Hip Kit Club

Hey there, friends!  I'm here with a new layout for Hip Kit Club featuring the new 2019 June Hip Kits.  They are so bright and colorful, and I couldn’t resist making a summer page!  I love these photos of my daughter in her rainbow swimsuit, and they were perfect.  I started by cutting out some colorful hearts from a Vicki Boutin paper to use as embellishments.  I cut some strips from a few other papers to ground the design.  I loved how the teal, pink and red looked together.  I added in lots of embellishments in various rainbow colors.


I used a lot of the flowers from the Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope Ephemera and Chipboard Sticker sheet here.  I kept everything close to the center strips.  I also used some of the Heidi Swapp Color Fresh Sticker Book stickers.  I fussy cut “weekend” from a Pocket Life card and use that as my title.


I used the Summer Lovin’ Sun Flat Magical Powder from Lindy’s Stamp Gang on both sides of the center strips.  It’s a beautiful golden yellow color and added a great contrast against the darker colors.  The Color Kit also has a pink and a blue powder.  Here I also added in more of the Heidi Swapp stickers and wrote my journaling.


More hearts and stickers here. I also machine stitched along the lines of the center strips with white thread before adding embellishments.  I love the texture and detail that stitching adds.


I added some Pocket Life cards, white tissue paper and adhesive foam behind my photos and added more stickers around them.


I decided to add some pink splatters, so I used the Hottie Patottie Hot Pink Magical Powder from the Color Kit.  I just sprinkled some on a bit of plastic packaging, spritzed with water and used a brush to splatter.


This large flower cluster on the left is actually Vicki Boutin packaging!  I fussy cut it and used it.  It holds the Ephemera Die Cuts.

Here are a few more close-ups of all the fun details!




It was so fun to dig into the new June Kits!  I hope you've gotten yours by now if you ordered one.  I love how this page turned out!  I have a process video here if you'd like to check it out:




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


Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Roam / Pinkfresh Studio

Hey there, friends!  Today I'm here with a new mixed media layout for Pinkfresh Studio featuring the Out & About collection.  I just love the bright colors in this line, and I love that it has so many possibilities when it comes to travel photos.  This photo isn't really about travel; it's my little family walking home from the local park close to our house.  But this collection has so many awesome embellishments that fit it perfectly!  I decided to back a cut large cut file for my main design and title.  This alpha cut file is from The Cut Shoppe.


I used thick smooth white cardstock as my background.  I coated a lot the watercolored area with clear gesso to begin.  Once that dried, I used the Liquid Watercolors to create a pretty blue area behind the photo and cut file.  I used the packaging technique as well as a brush to apply the color.  I went through all the embellishments from the collection and used several around the page as well as some pieces that I fussy cut from patterned papers.


I love the different shades of blue here.  I fussy cut the GO piece from patterned paper.  I pulled some of the Die Cut Ephemera to use as well as a few Puffy Stickers from the Joyful Day collection.  I added my journaling right under the photo and tucked in some pretty aqua thread.





I chose four patterned papers to back the cut file with.  I just love the bright rainbow colors mixed with the different shades of blue.  I popped everything up off the page with some adhesive foam.


Here you can see the dimension and shadowing effects from adding the adhesive foam.


Here above the photo I added in a label that I cut from paper, a die cut speech bubble and a sticker.  These embellishments made this layout come together so quickly because everything matched so well and looked great in every spot.


One final close-up here.  I just had to use this Exploring the Neighborhood Die Cut since that is exactly what we were doing!  I added some foam under it to raise it up.  All of the large circles around the page were fussy cut from patterned paper.


I hope you are inspired by this in some way...it was so much fun to put together!  Be sure to check out  my process video here for more details!



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

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Together / Paige Evans DT

Happy Tuesday, friends!  I'm back with a new layout for the Paige Evans Design Team.  I love when Paige uploads new cut files to the Silhouette Store, and as soon as I saw the Wildflowers design, I knew I had to use it right away :)  I cut it several times on various bright patterned papers from the Horizon collection.  I decided to create a landscape design and layered the flowers across the page in a horizontal fashion.


I absolutely love these bright colors!  I decided to add a sky and some grass using more patterned papers from Horizon.  I did add some mixed media to the background using some different blue and green Shimmerz.


I was actually inspired by the colors in this Epoxy Sticker.  I wanted to pull in lots of pink and orange, so I made sure to incorporate that in to the flowers.  I went light on the embellishments since the flowers were so bright and busy.  I layered a big pink Die Cut Ephemera here with the Epoxy Stickers and another Sticker below that.  I also had one floral Shaped Paper Clip left in my stash, so I added that to my photo.  I finished off this area with some tangled thread to add a bit more texture.


Here's a good look at the background.  I did smudge a lot of white gesso over the background areas behind the flowers.  I used some Shimmerz Vibez Jeni B Bleu and Vibez Deep Blue Sea here to add some darker variations to the sky.  I also fussy cut some butterflies from patterned paper to add here as well as a few butterfly stickers.  I machine stitched trails behind them for some fun detail.


I used several green Shimmerz here for the grass:  Coloringz Oh Say Can You Sea & Don't Citron Me and Vibez Velveteen Green & Elfin Magic.  I used some green thread to stitch a fun line beneath the flowers.


Since the green paper is so dark and bold, I used a white gelly roll pen to write my journaling.


Here are more close-ups of all the fun details.  I love how the ends of these flowers just pop off the page!  Amazing dimension without even trying :)



 I really loved putting this together...I hope it inspires you in some way.  Have you ever created a landscape design?  It's a lot of fun!  Be sure to check out my process video here for more details:



Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you again soon!