Always Look Out For Freebies

 Hello, Lisa here.

I'm sharing some trip journaling with you today. I love Christmas, but I love breaking up my December journaling with some normal stuff too.

I haven't started on my recent trip stories, so I'm kicking them off today inspired by this business card that I picked up at a restaurant in Celebration, Orlando.

Do you like to pick up freebies too?

Remember to keep an eye out, things like this are so handy and fun to include.

I'm using the paper collection from American Crafts designed by Paige Evans - Garden Shoppe which you can see here. It's so pretty.   

I'm working in my Disneyworld 50th Journal.

I've split this into 3 to document our trips this year.

If you'd like to see this page being made and other pages in my journal please check my YouTube channel here.

I laid out everything I had first and picked out my papers to match and also the die cuts that I was going to use. The collection compliments my photos so much. 

I ended up creating a page with a pocket and a little flip. 

The flip opens out to reveal the business card.

I used the large round die cut and cut in in half. One of the halves I've only stuck at the base so I could slide the card in to it.

And then I've journaled on the back of the card.

I used the paper with the hearts on here to use as embellishments.

I cut out the little squares, folded over and cut out the hearts from the centre and then not only did I have a little heart, but I was left with the negative too. 

The reverse of the the paper is pink, so I've used that here under the business card.

  

You can see one of the little hearts that I cut out here on the right.

I created this little pocket by tearing one of the papers down and sticking in. I wanted to include this photo but most of it was hidden away, but I really like it and didn't want to hide it. So I've matted it on one of the paper and then stuck to another but only by the top piece so the it could slide over the top.

Another way to embellish, I've cut some word strips from this paper here. 

And then I've journaled on the back of my photo so it's hidden once in the pocket.

Then I've also included a couple more photos under the photo cards.

I'm so pleased with how this page has turned out.

It was so relaxing to make and this collection is just so pretty.

I hope you've enjoyed this.

Please don't forget to check out my processes video here on the 1st Dec.

And don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for freebies.

Thank you so much. Have a fun December.

Lisa xx  

Fall - Simple Stories - Harvest Market Collection

Hello, Rebecca here sharing another colourful layout created with Simple Stories’ Harvest Market collection. I am really enjoying this collection and I’m so glad that I have an abundance of photos still to scrap with it! The full collection can be found in the store here.

I have fallen in love with so many of the patterned papers in this collection and I’ve been having a really hard time deciding which to use - so for this layout I went for a design that allowed me to use several papers! 

I chose 3 papers and cut circles from them in different sizes. After distressing all the edges, I machine stitched around them too to bring extra texture to the page. I layered them on top of each other, and by placing some craft foam between the layers, I was able to introduce some dimension and height to the page. 

Using a Distress Ink Pad in ‘Spiced Marmade’, I added a circle of colour to a sheet of premium white cardstock, enough that a little would show around the edges of my largest circle. I finished this off with some splatters in the same colour, and adhered my circles in the centre of the page. 

I cut my photo in a circle, making sure it was smaller than my smallest patterned paper circle, and stuck it down with some foam behind it. The Foam Stickers make for perfect titles for autumn layouts so I used one that says ‘Fall’ and placed it underneath my photo. The foam stickers are always one of my favourite products in a Simple Stories collection!

Using some floral stickers from the Sticker Book, I embellished around my title, creating a cluster either side of it. I also created a cluster above my photo using stickers from both the sticker book and the Combo Stickers sheet. 

I’d been looking online for funny quotes relating to pumpkins, and came across ‘Having a gourd time’ and I wanted to add this to my page. I decided to use the colourful stickers from the sticker book, and have the quote following the curve of my largest circle. 

I finished the layout off with a few small leaves from the Chipboard Stickers, some nuvo drops and some distress oxide splatters in ‘Mermaid Lagoon’. 

Thank you for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed this layout. I’ll be back next month when it will be time for those festive layouts! 

Take care

Rebecca x

@preciouspagespapercraft

Simple Stories Baking Spirits Bright

Hello, Karen here. As we are just one month away from Christmas Day it seems fitting that today I should be sharing with you my first layout using the Christmassy 'Baking Spirits Bright' collection from Simple Stories. This is a baking inspired Christmas collection with a bright colour palette and images of kitchen utensils, gingerbread men and other Christmas treats as well as classic Christmas icons such as reindeer, holly and Christmas trees. It is perfect for recording memories of Christmas baking but would be perfect too for general Christmas scrapbooking. 

I started my layout by trimming a quarter of an inch from each edge of a sheet of 12x12 white cardstock and layering this on top of a gutted sheet of 12x12 red cardstock leaving a narrow border. Gutting the red cardstock meant I had cardstock left to use elsewhere on the layout.

Using some olive green sewing thread I then machine stitched along the edges of the white cardstock.

With Tim Holtz Tattered Rose Distress Ink and a stencil from Paige Evans I stenciled pink stars onto the white cardstock background. My 6x4 photograph was matted onto  the red cardstock (saved from earlier) and placed in the top right corner of the layout with 3D foam underneath.

Using my Silhouette Cameo and my favourite smooth white cardstock , I cut a Christmas tree cut file from Paige Evans. This was backed with papers from the collection (Sweet Holiday Wishes, Merry and Bright, 3x4 Elements) and more of the red cardstock.

The stars on the Christmas trees were backed with white glitter card and topped with stars from the Foam Sticker sheet.

The cut file was then stuck to the layout with 3D foam underneath.

One of the title stickers from the sheet of Foam Stickers was added to the bottom of the photo and a holly sticker was added to a corner of the photo. A word of warning about these stickers! Once they stick to your layout, they CAN NOT be removed again so make sure you are certain of where you want to stick them before doing so. 

Finally I added journalling strips printed in red ink on my computer at the bottom of the layout and dotted some enamel dots here and there.

I hope you like this layout and it's inspired you to get stuck into some Christmas scrapbooking.

I'll be back soon with another project.

Take Care, Karen x x

Pinkfresh Studio - Simply The Best - Joy

Hello,

Claire back with you today, sharing my second layout with Simply The Best from Pinkfresh Studio.

Have you noticed there are lots of papers in collections that include lots of cut apart elements? I never really know how to use them, so for this page, I'm making them the star of the layout!

I'm adding in an extra challenge by not using any white cardstock! 

I may have mentioned last time, I just adore this collection, so scrapping without a white cardstock base is easier than I thought as there are so many pretty papers to choose from.

I selected a piece of Bazzill cardstock in shade Aspen from the Matchmaker Pack as my starting point. I layered the Mood Booster paper on top. It's a little greener than shown in the picture, but is a beautiful modern grid/ledger design that makes a really lovely background.

I tore the bottom quarter off and layered a small piece of Iconic paper underneath for a pop of blue.

Next - for the cut aparts! I used 4 from the Roll With It paper, along with a cut apart tag from the Happy Times paper, a large tag from Journaling Bits pack, positioned under the photo and the smaller yellow tag from the Cardstock Ephemera Pack.

To prevent the elements looking like they were 'floating', I cut a thin strip of the Worth The Hype paper and used this as a sort of shelf for my design.

I layered each of the cut apart pieces horizontally across the page, laying some flat, and raising others on foam to create extra interest. (I added gold eyelets to the tags and string from my stash). I distressed the edges of each piece and folded back a few corners for extra dimension.

The 'Today' piece contains a blank space for journaling, but it provided the perfect space to hold my photo, which I backed in the Iconic and Happy Times papers.

I embellished the photo with pieces from the Cardstock Ephemera pack and tucked under a small tag from the Happy Times paper.

Next, I added some extra embellishments across the design, focusing on circular elements to soften the hard lines of the cut apart sheets. First, I used a chipboard flair.

I complemented this with some ephemera pieces and labels from the ephemera pack.

My 'Joy' title uses the green Puffy Alpha Stickers, and I sprinkled a few Enamel Dots as a finishing touch.

I hope you've enjoyed the layouts I've made with this collection, and they've inspired you to get creating.

I'll see you next month with some more fun projects.

Take care,

Claire xx

@scrappysoulmate

 

Pumpkin Patch - Simple Stories - Harvest Market Collection

Hello, its Rebecca on the blog today sharing my first layout created with Simple Stories Harvest Market collection. Normally I like to stick to browns and greens for Autumnal layouts, but this colourful collection really drew me in and I’m loving it! You can shop the full collection here. 

To begin this layout, I selected 4 patterned papers based on their colours and patterns, and cut a square from each one. The larger squares are 4x4 inches and the smaller squares are 3x3 inches. I added orange machine stitching around the edges of the squares, and then added some texture by distressing the edges. 

I arranged the squares on my background slightly overlapping and at an angle to make them appear more diamond shaped than square. Knowing that this is how I was going to arrange them, I was very careful to cut them so that the patterns would be the right way up! I drew a very faint line around the squares with a pencil and used this as a guide to add some mixed media to my background. 

I used a mix of Distress Oxides and Inks in the shades ‘Spiced Marmelade’, ‘Ripe Persimmon’ and ‘Mermaid Lagoon’. I applied the inks to my background using the scouring side of a cleaning sponge! I love the control this affords me when applying the ink to my layout and it gives a nice effect too. Once the ink had dried, I stuck my squares into position. 

I always love the chipboard frames which come in the Simple Stories collections and I used a circular one to house my photo on this layout. I placed it in the centre of my page, with some craft foam behind it for dimension.

I REALLY wanted to use the ‘Pumpkin Patch’ foam sticker for my title - but at the same time wanted my title to curve around the circular frame. So I took a deep breath and decided to cut each letter out individually! I left the sticker on the backing acetate to cut so that the letters didn’t stick to the blade of my scissors. 

Moving on to embellishing, I placed a few of the chipboard stickers onto my layout. One either side of my photo, and one at the bottom to create a new cluster. 

Next, I took some of the stickers from the sticker book and mounted them onto white card to make them a bit sturdier. I placed the phrases either side of my photo and a banner along the bottom of my page, adding to the small cluster. 

I finished the layout off with a banner from the die cut pack, placing it just underneath my photo to extend the design down towards the bottom cluster. 

Thanks for reading! I hope you’ve enjoyed the layout. I’ll be back later in the month with another layout with this beautiful collection so keep an eye out for that. 

Take care

Rebecca x

@preciouspagespapercraft

November Papermaze Kit - Part 1

Hi, Lynn here with the very pretty, colourful kit for November. A selection of pastel papers, cards and embellishments put together by Vanessa.

Here are my first two layouts, both using the pastel rainbow papers found in this kit.

Before looking at how the layouts are made, here are the details of what you will find in the kit.

Patterned Papers:
American Crafts - Paige Evans - Garden Shoppe collection - #04 & #23
American Crafts - Maggie Holmes - Parasol collection - Free To Fly & Regards
Pinkfresh Studio - Delightful collection - Go Bravely & Flourish

Bazzill Basics - Bazzill White & Arroyo

Reverse side of papers

Embellishments:
Arrow clip, 5 PFS chipboard flair, 2 Rosie's Studio puffy phrase stickers, 3 die-cut labels, PFS seal, 5 Paige Evans puffy stickers, strip of enamel glossies & 12" washi tape.

Bazzill Basics extra pack - Pear, Wildberry Pie, Fussy & Chiffon

Smiles - A photo of me with my daughter, taken at an afternoon tea party.



Using the Bazzill White and a Peartree Cutfile, I cut the trellis design and stuck this down placing glue only at the points where the lines cross, so I could tuck the leaves under the trellis later.

Then with a good TV show to watch I sat and fussy cut the beautiful pastel-coloured leaves from the 'Flourish' paper. The stems are very fine and delicate, but where necessary I was able to join them together again as I placed them down onto the layout.

My photo was adhered to the page, then I arranged the leaves to cover the trellis. some leaves were glued in place and others were raised up with 3D foam pads.

I wrote my journalling onto the three labels in the kit, and together with one of the puffy phrase stickers, I added all the details to the bottom right of the layout. The labels were attached with more 3D foam pads. The little heart stickers that came with the phrase, were then scattered across the page.

I covered the photo with a scrap of paper and flicked some Picket Fence Distress Paint over the leaves.

Cheeky - My sister captured this photo of her cheeky little grand daughter.

I started this layout with the White Bazzill, and cut the Paige Evans Garden Shoppe paper #04 in half across the middle, in a wavy line. I place the patterned paper over the bottom half of the Bazzill, and made a faint pencil mark where each colour changed.

Placing the paper aside, I matched a Distress Oxide Ink colour to each of the colour bands. I inked the area on the Bazzill so a little ink would show above the paper later, blending each colour into the next slightly. I also flicked some wet ink of each colour higher up the Bazzill. Once dry I adhered the paper to the Bazzill. 

I mounted the photo onto some spare white cardstock, and with 3D foam tape I applied it to the layout.

With Tim Holt's Sizzix Thinlits Artsy Stems set, I cut two flowers from each colour of the remaining #04 paper. I arranged the flowers at different heights across the layout. I used a punch to cut butterflies from the scraps and placed these above the stems.

With some glittery foam alpha stickers, I made my title, I also used some LDRS Creative One Fine Day small puffy alpha stickers.  

Finally, I used Nuvo Glitter Drops to add a little sparkle.

That's it for today, I will be back with more from this kit soon.
Thanks for looking
Lynn x