Don't Be Crabby / Hip Kit Club

Hey, friends!  I have a new layout to share today for Hip Kit Club :)  I used the 2019 June Hip Kits along with one of the cutest exclusive cut files for this month.  As soon as I saw this crab, I had to use it...haha!  I had the perfect photos to go with it and the matching title.

I started by cutting the crab and part of the title on white cardstock.  I wanted to paint the crab, so I coated it with gesso first.  I pulled out an older Color Kit and used the Alpine Ice Rose Shaker from Lindy's Stamp Gang.  It has a red tint to it, so I used that and a brush to apply the color along with a red gelato from my stash.  I used a big chunk of the beautiful Vicki Boutin cloud paper as my background.  I also tore a few other papers...one from Heidi Swapp and one from Simple Stories.  I attached all of those to a sheet of white cardstock.

How cute is this crab?!  I added some black behind his eyes...I just smudged some black paint on a small scrap piece of cardstock and glued them on.  I used some Vicki Boutin packaging as a layer behind my photos as well as a few fussy cut flowers from a Simple Stories paper.  I fussy cut this circle from a Pocket Life card.

I love how torn edges create such awesome texture and dimension without even really trying.  I coated a lot of this area here with white gesso so I could add some color to it.  Down on the white area I used the Azure Sea Lindy's Magicals from the Color Kit mixed with Tilt a Wheel Teal.  I added more fussy cut flowers to create a little cluster.  I cut SUMMER (part of this cut file) on the ombre Simple Stories paper and stitched through it.

I wanted a little bit of mixed media behind the photo, so I mixed some Hottie Patottie Hot Pink Lindy's Magical with some white acrylic paint and smudged it on using a palette knife.  I also mixed in a bit of the Alpine Ice for more of a light red tint.

I layered in some darker blue tangled thread here for a pop of color and texture.  I also added in a cute sticker from the Heidi Swapp Sticker book.

I left the top part of the title solid white so it would stand out against the blue paper. I also machine stitched through that.  All the little gold stars are from the Heidi Swapp Sticker Book.

I love dimensional cut files!  This crab was meant to pop right off the page :)

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

I used Shimmerz Miner Miner 49er to add a few gold splatters...that was from an older Color Kit.

I had so much fun making this!  I hope it gives you some ideas to try on your next page.  Check out all the summer cut files...there are a ton this month!

Here's my process video:

Thanks for stopping in, and have a great day!

Another Day at the Office / Pinkfresh Studio

Happy Monday, friends!  I'm back today to share a new layout for Pinkfresh Studio.  The new July Challenge is up over on the blog HERE.  You can participate if you'd like to :)  There is a fun color palette as well as the challenge to use die cuts and/or cut files.  Check it out:

These colors are a perfect match to the new Office Hours collection.  This line is great for documenting anything and everything revolving around a job, work, dreams, goals, schedules...lots of possibilities.  My main "job" is a fitness instructor, so my "office" is the gym :)  This photo is my Monday morning Spin class.  I made this collection work, and there were a ton of things to use that went with my theme.

I used all the colors in this moodboard and also some of the die cuts from the collection.  I love using mixed media, so I also used the Liquid Watercolors.  I began with fun patterned paper with lots of words on it.  I wanted to use it as my background, and I needed some white space.  I covered a lot of it with white acrylic paint and gesso first.  I just wanted the words to show around the outer edges.  In the middle, I added some blue, green and yellow watercolor along with some soft red splatters to match the colors.  I fussy cut some of the lined label pieces out from another paper and layered those behind my photo.

I created a cluster down below the photo using die cuts, stickers and puffy stickers all from Office Hours.  I mixed and matched my title using different fonts and colors.  I love this title!  I layered in stickers and die cuts here, again mixing and matching colors.  I added some adhesive foam under the white one and tucked some yellow thread under it.

This collection also contains a pack of fabric die cuts...this banner piece here is one of them.

I love how these watercolors look when they dry!

I just had to use this die cut because it's so true!  I glued it to the photo and then added another fabric die cut here.  Team Work is definitely a great sentiment for this page :)

I added a puffy sticker here....Get it Done!  Again, the perfect sentiment for a work out!

A few more close-ups just because :)

I hope this inspires you in some way.  I love this collection because it helps me scrap something other than my children...haha!  I sometimes forget about my own life.  And being a fitness instructor is a huge part of my life, so I definitely need to document it more.

Join in the challenge this month HERE.

I have a process video here with all the details if you're interested:

Thanks for stopping in, and have a great day!

Smile / Cut To You Guest Designer

Happy Friday, friends!  I'm so excited to share that I'm a Guest Designer for Cut To You this month!  My friend Gwen Wruck started her own cut file shop one year ago, and she's celebrating this month.  She asked me to help her celebrate, and of course I said yes :)  I created this layout using her Spring Roses cut file and some gorgeous Cocoa Vanilla Happiness goodies.

I began by cutting the roses on textured white cardstock.  I decided to add mixed media to them instead of backing them with patterned papers.  I first smudged some white gesso over the flowers using my fingers.  Next, I used gelatos to add color.  I just scribbled some color down, dipped my finger in a bit of water, and smudged the color around the flowers.

Gelatos are so fun and easy to use.  It's easy to blend multiple colors together.  The gesso and water make them blend really nicely.  I used smooth white cardstock as my background, which I coated with clear gesso first.  I used some blue Shimmerz to create the big blue watercolor area.  I used Vibez Jeni B Bleu and Vibez Deep Blue Sea.

I used this color scheme on the flowers to match the colors in the Happiness collection.  I've been hoarding it because it's just sooooo pretty and artsy!  I used one of the big floral die cuts under my photo and several leave sprigs around the cut file.  I also added some texture and detail using lots of sequins from SpiegelMom Scraps.

Everything here is from the Happiness collection.  I used a die cut word for my title, which I glued right on top of the photo.  I fussy cut this big pin/red butterfly from a patterned paper, and the blue butterfly is a die cut.  I also added some lime green thread here for a pop of color and texture.

I really love the detail from the sequins...very subtle but also fun to look at!

I fussy cut a few more butterflies from patterned paper here as well as a sentiment.  The fun thing about flowers and butterflies is when you only glue down the centers, you can fold up the edges to create dimension.

Here are a few more close-ups...

I did add a few more splatters around the page in blue, pink and green.

I hope this inspires you in some way!  I loved making it.  Gwen provided me with a discount code for 20% off her DIGITAL cut files HERE in her shop all month long.  Use code HEARTMISSY to get yourself some beautiful cut files!  You can also use that code in her Etsy store.

Be sure to check out my process video here for all the details:

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you again soon!  Have a great weekend!

June Weekend Vibes / Hip Kit Club

Happy Thursday, friends!  And Happy 4th of July to all my American friends :)  Today I have a new layout to share for Hip Kit Club using the 2019 June Hip Kits.  Every time I see these bright kits I just want to use all the colors!  I went with a tropical feel for this layout.  I started with a beautiful Heidi Swapp paper from the Main Kit as my background.  I chose a bright pool photo for this, and chose embellishments that had a tropical feel.  I used lots of the Vicki Boutin Color Kaleidoscope Stickers and Die Cuts because they were perfect!  I also used lots of the Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical Powders from the Color Kit.

I wanted to add some bright aqua to the background, so I tore a strip of Vicki Boutin paper and glued it to the background before adding white gesso.  I used the yellow Summer Lovin’ Sun & pink Hottie Patottie Hot Pink Powders from the Color Kit on top of the papers.  I wanted to use some of the Vicki Boutin birds, so I fussy cut the large one from paper, and the other two I used are from the Sticker sheet.  I layered some patterned paper and part of a Pocket Life card behind my photo.

In addition to using some of the large and small Vicki Boutin floral die cuts, I fussy cut some of the peachy colored flowers from a Simple Stories paper.  I also fussy cut JUNE from a Pocket Life card to use as part of my title.  I love those bright tropical flowers there!  Here I used lots of other colorful goodies…a few stickers from the Heidi Swapp Sticker Book, a Vicki Boutin Chipboard Sticker, and the RELAX is from a Pocket Life card.

I love these leaves!  I cut the white border off since it made the leaves stand out a little too much.  I also added a few butterfly stickers from Vicki Boutin.

Yay for layers and dimension!  I used some adhesive foam behind these pieces here to create depth and shadowing.  The Weekend Vibes sticker is vellum and see through, so I stuck it to another piece of vellum and cut it out.  I think it makes it a little sturdier and more visible.

I wrote my journaling here at the bottom using a fine tip Sharpie.

I made sure to leave lots of open white space between the main design and the cluster up at the top.  It gives the eye some resting space since there is so much going on.

I cut a piece of the top off, ruffled up the edges and added some of the aqua Vicki paper behind it.  I brought up all the colors from the bottom half of the page with more florals, leaves, stickers and thread.

One more close-up of all the pretty colors!

One more just because :)

I had a blast putting this together!  All these colors just work so well together, and it makes it easy to create fun summer pages.  I hope this one gives you an idea or two for your next page.  I have a process video here if you'd like to see how this page came together:

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

Exuma / Paige Evans DT

Hey, friends! I'm here today with a fun vacation layout for the Paige Evans Design Team featuring Paige’s Signage Post cut file. We recently took a trip to the Bahamas and while on a day trip we found this cool sign. This cut file is perfect for this, I couldn’t wait to scrap it! I began by cutting the design on white cardstock. I wanted it to mimic the wooden one in the photo, so I used a few brown gelatos to add color. I sorted through the Horizon 6x8 Paper Pad and a few larger papers and backed the sign. I created my own background using white cardstock, clear gesso, and a lot of spray Horizon.

To color the cut file, I smudged a bit of gelato onto the paper and then dipped my finger into some water to help blend it. I couldn’t resist doing somewhat of a rainbow color scheme with the papers. Once the cut file was backed, I popped it off the page with some adhesive foam. I wanted to create a sky and a soft beach on the background, so I used two different blue ink sprays on the background. I added lots of water and just tilted the page so the colors would run and blend together. I added a few drops of white acrylic paint to add some lighter areas, and then smudged more white paint after it dried to give the effect of clouds. I added some sandy colored paint down at the bottom for the beach. I used some of the Pick-Me-Up Mini Thickers and Whimsical Foam Mini Thickers to add text to a few of the signs.

I used several floral stickers from the Horizon Project Pad on both sides of the photo. This small pink flower was cut from the Horizon 6x8 Paper Pad, and I tucked an Epoxy Sticker underneath the photo. I tangled up coordinating colors of thread in a few places as well. I love the color and texture that adds.

I love the Shaped Paper Clips! This cute airplane was perfect for this layout. I had some open space above the photo for journaling, so I printed out sentence strips and adhered them. I used a few of the gold foiled stickers from the Project Pad. To tone down the shiny gold, I smudged a bit of white gesso over the letters. I used some of the larger gold alphas for my title on the left side of the photo and used the “destination” sticker on the signage post.

I love the effect of smudging white gesso over the really shiny alphas.  They're still shiny...just a bit toned down.  I really like this matte finish.  I rarely do a sideways title, but I think this one felt right.

All of these colors in the flower stickers compliment the colors in the sign post so well.  I wanted something bright and fun on this side of the page, and flowers were it!  I also added a pop of lime green with some tangled thread.

More close-ups of all the dimension and details :)

I love hos shimmery the background turned out!

This layout was so much fun to make! Have you ever had the perfect cut file for one of your photos? This one was meant to be! I hope this inspires you in some way. Be sure to check out my process video here for all the details.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I'll see you again tomorrow!