Pinkfresh Studios, Keeping it Real - using Big Mood Side A by Meg

Hello, it's Meg here today sharing my third page using the gorgeous Pinkfresh Studios Keeping it Real collection. Yet again this page practically made itself, due to the perfectly matching tones in the collection!

I was inspired to make this layout using the scraps of my last page I shared, but this time with the other side (side A) of the beautiful patterned Big Mood paper! 

Here they are side-by-side - my two layouts using each side of Big Mood. 

I had these arches leftover from the diagonal cuts I'd made and I loved the different colours but some of the arches had their tops cut off, so I decided to layer other arches behind them with foam to make them 3D and complete, then I cut out the centre of the yellow arch to make it into a 3D frame for my photo. 

After that, I mixed some paint to coordinate and splattered behind where I wanted to stick the arches - I actually used a piece of card folded in half like a birthday card to prop over the paint splatters each time, to create distinct lines and stop the paint from mixing together. 

I used the coordinating tonal floral die cuts above, below and on the arches, enamel dots, a few icons fussy cut from Daily Grind and I punched a few flowers out of the Big Mood stripey side to add some extra accents. 

Finally I added a title in white thickers from my stash so that the bright colours above would be the main focus and I journalled below.  

And there you have it - a second layout made from the scraps of my last layout and those wonderful floral die cuts. 

I hope you enjoyed this page - there's still some of this collection left in stock if you would like to try a similar project! 

Take care, Meg x

Cocoa Vanilla Studio Sunkissed - Sweet & Sassy

Hello! Karen C here again with a final layout using Cocoa Vanilla Studio's Sunkissed collection. Among the bright zesty coloured papers in the collection, there is a gorgeous woodgrain patterned paper called Just Chillin and that paper is the base for the layout I'm sharing with you today.

I started by trimming an eighth of an inch off of each side of the Just Chillin paper and matted this on a sheet of white Bazzil cardstock. Using white thread I then machine stitched a straight stitch round the edges.

Using my Silhouette Cameo I cut the 'Heart Background' cut file by Paige Evans from smooth white cardstock and backed this with the Sunny Days and Growing Wild papers. The backed cut file was then attached to the layout with 3D foam underneath to raise it up.

My photo was matted on white cardstock and placed on top of the cut file with a white paper doilie tucked underneath. I also tucked two pocket cards underneath the photo to give a grounding for the title.

The title was cut twice, once a second sheet of the Just Chillin paper and once from black cardstock. By layering the two pieces on top of each other but slightly offset, it created a shadow effect and made the title stand out more. 

A sub title was created using letters die cut from some pink fun foam.

I embellished the layout with some of the die cut ephemera and In my stash I found a very old flair badge which was also added. I thought the words and colour of the flair were appropriate for this layout and couldn't think of when else I might use it.

The date and place were added to the bottom left corner of the layout using clear letter stickers which I stuck onto a scrap of pink paper and then cut into separate tiles.

For a finishing touch I added a few iridescent pink sequins to the layout.

This was the last layout I have created using the Sunkised collection. I hope you have enjoyed seeing what I have created and that it has inspired you to use the Sunkissed collection too.

I'll be back soon with another project and in the meantime, Take Care.

Karen x x

April Papermaze Kit - Part 2

I'm here today with the next post showing you what I have created with the April Papermaze Kit. This kit is full of spring & Easter, pretty pastel papers, card and embellishments. this time I have created a double page layout, inspired by a Page Maps Sketch.

As always, let's find out what is included in the kit:

Patterned papers:
Simple Stories - Bunnies + Blooms collection - Tags
Echo Park - Welcome Spring collection - Bumblebee Breeze
Echo Park - Welcome Easter - Pastel Petals
Echo Park - Welcome Baby Girl collection - Dreamer Floral
Kaisercraft - Flower Shoppe collection - Conservatory
American Crafts - Paige Evans - Go The Scenic Route - #12
Bazzill Basics - Avalanche & African Daisy

Embellishments:
Large doily, 4 buttons, 12" washi tape, 5 paper flowers, 1 resin rose, diecut polaroid frame, 3lines gold puffy phrase stickers, 3 large pearls, clear stamp, exclusive acrylic phrase.

Extra Bazzil Pack - Quartz, Wisteria, Hillary & Jetstream

Easter Bonnets - As a base for these pages I used two sheets 12"x12" scrap paper, this enabled me to cut up and make the most of the patterned papers and cardstock from the kit.

To prepare the pages, I cut the following:
Jetstream Bazzill - 20.5cm x 30.5cm & 10cm x 30.5cm
Bumblebee Breeze - 10cm x 30.5cm (Bee side), 8cm x 15cm & 23cm x 15cm (yellow side)
Pastel Petals - 20cm x 30.5cm (floral side) & 6.5cm x 21cm (green trellis side)
Go The Scenic Route #12 - 7.5cm x 22.5cm
I inked the edges with Shaded Lilac Distress Ink.

These pieces of paper were then arranged onto the base paper (for placement see the sketch), when sticking into place I allowed some edges to be free of glue so I could tuck the tags in place later.

April 2021 Page Maps Sketch

I mounted all the photos onto African Daisy Bazzill, then made a second mount for the portrait photo using Quartz Bazzill. The photos were arranged across the yellow check patterned paper on the layout. I raised the portrait photo on foam pads, and the other three were glued to the page. 

With scraps of Avalanche Bazzill I trimmed two strips with the Mini Daisy Fan Martha Stewart Border Punch.

From the remainder of the 'Tags' paper I cut 12 tags, inked the edges, punched holes and added large white brads from my stash. I arranged them around the page tucking them under some of the other papers, leaving enough white space for my journalling.

I had some pretty pale blue silky twine in my stash and threaded this through the eyelets in the tags. Arranging in loopy fashion and gluing in place onto the page.

I used the washi tape in the kit to trim various areas on the pages.

To embellish I made some flowers from the Bazzill scraps, using the Tim Holtz - Sizzix Thinlits set - Funky Floral Large.

My title was created with some Thickers Alpha Stickers.

For more detail here is a closer look at each page:

That's all for the April kit, Back with the May Kit soon.
Thanks for looking
Lynn x

Bucket List Scrapbooking

 

Hi, Lisa here today scrapbooking some fun bucket list items we've ticked off.

I thought it would be fun today to share a few little tips with you.

This page started by me receiving the amazing new collection from Simple Stories - Safe Travels. You can see it all here. 

I actually wanted the collection for a Bucket List Junk Journal I'm planning, but when I opened it all up I wanted to create a quick 12x12 straight away.

That's the sign of a perfect paper collection I think. When you get ideas and get started straight away. I just couldn't wait : )

I wanted to create a kind of grid like design. There are lots of papers with little boxes that are crying to be cut up.

One of my biggest tips, when you are laying things out on your paper and you like what you've done. Take a quick snapshot so you can remember where everything is.     

This is how my initial design looked. 

So then I could remove everything and add some colour.

Using stencils and colour is such a fun way to add colour. There are loads of stencils to choose from here.
 Once this area was dry, I went around with some watercolours too to add even more colour. 

I wanted to add some extra texture to the page so I hand sewed some yellow stitches to tie the yellow in a little more and I wrapped some teal thread around the top journal card too.

I think this finishes the page off really nicely.

I hope you enjoy this page and I hope you have some scrappy time planned this weekend.

love

Lisa x

 

Pinkfresh Studio Keeping it Real - Big Mood by Meg

 

Hello guys, it's Meg here again today with my second layout using Pinkfresh Studios Keeping it Real collection! 

This page was inspired by the vibrant colours in the collection - I wanted to showcase them and after spotting how perfectly the colours on all of the different papers match each other, I really wanted to have a go at a tone-on-tone layout. 

I absolutely love both sides of the striped Big Mood paper (so much so, I had to buy another sheet of it!) and I had so many ideas spinning rounds in my head for it, but the stripes just lend themselves so well for tone-on-tone designs. It just felt clear to me that's the direction I needed to take! 

First decision I needed to make was to have horizontal or vertical stripes - I liked the idea of vertical and thought perhaps I could try dripping some mixed media down the page (I'm really enjoying that effect at the moment), but I decided to go with horizontal instead, so I could journal along the stripes eventually. 

 Next I wanted to fussy cut some paper to create tonal ephemera - I love doing fussy cutting! It really makes a collection stretch further and is a cost effective way of creating embellishments. 

I'd noticed the A-side of the Big Mood paper matches the stripes pretty well, but so do the icons on Daily Grind and those sweet houses on Adulting! I decided to use the houses (honestly they are just so cute, I wanted to fussy cut the lot!) and some of the little icons from Daily Grind. 

Once I'd decided which papers I was going to cut into, I started thinking a little bit more about how I was going to arrange my page.

Now was the time to pick out photos, because the amount of photos I want to use dictates the design of the page - I almost always pick out my photos to match the papers I'm planning on using (for example, Spring photos for Spring collections), which was easy with Keeping it Real because the papers go well with almost any event and situation! 

I picked out two black and white photos of my family during the COVID lockdown as I liked the idea of making a 'mental health being stuck in the house' type of layout, which tied in with the houses and some of the sentiments. I picked black and white so that it would stand out against all of the vibrant colours on the rest of the page and decided I wanted them to be central, so that the eye would be drawn there. 

After picking my photos and having decided I wanted to use the houses and the stripes horizontally, it came naturally that I should cut the background piece diagonally - so that the houses would stagger nicely along it and still be visible. So I cut the stripes and distressed the edges, fussy cut my houses and icons and fixed them in colour order with the coordinating enamel dots, puffy stickers and phrases cut out from Daily Grind. 

Lastly, I had to decide on journalling. I thought that the top right hand corner looked a little too white but couldn't decide how to embellish it for a while. Eventually I decided to use a corner of the Big Mood, while saving some of the arches on the other side of the paper for a later layout. I distressed it to match the rest of the page, journalled along it in white and finished with a few more enamel dots to jazz it up a little! 

And there we have it - another page finished and it was made easy by the wonderful coordinating colours. The Keeping it Real collection is definitely a must-try for you if you have ever fancied trying a tone-on-tone layout like this! 

I hope you enjoyed my page and I hope to be back with another one real soon - have a happy scrappy week and take care, 

Meg x 

Feed the Ducks - P13 Paper Products - Soulmate

Hello, Rebecca with you today. I hope you are all keeping well and enjoying a little bit of freedom as the restrictions are starting to be lifted. I’ve popped by to share another layout I’ve created with the gorgeous 'Soulmate' collection from P13 Paper Products. I am really enjoying this collection and the neutral tones mixed with the dark Navy. It's perfect for scrapping more masculine pages.

I was really drawn to Paper #1 with all the beautiful feathers. I fussy cut loads of them out and as they were sitting in a pile on my desk they reminded me of a dream catcher - and that's where the idea for this layout was born! I used a 10cm wide metal ring and wrapped some string around it to add some texture and to make it look more like a dream catcher. I then painted the string gold using a metallic acrylic paint, and wrapped my favourite WRMK Gold Metallic Thread all around it to give it the classic dream catcher look.

I selected Paper #4 for my background as I loved the contrast of the bright gold against the dark navy. I wanted to jazz the paper up a bit so I added some gold splatters to the left hand side of my page, where the dream catcher would sit, and finished it off with a few white splatters. I then added a little bit of stamping with black ink for some subtle texture.

I used Glossy Accents to stick my dream catcher in place, and then I set about attaching the fussy-cut feathers. I tied the metallic gold thread around the top (well, technically I suppose it’s the base!) of the feathers and then attached the thread to the dream catcher hoop, making sure they all hung at different lengths. I placed foam pads behind the feathers for a bit of dimension.

The photo I’d chosen for this layout is of my little boy feeding the ducks at a local lake - I thought it went perfect with the feathers theme, and the colours in the photo worked perfectly with the layout. I printed it smaller than usual, at just 2x3 inches so that it could sit nicely on the dream catcher. I added a white border to my photo to help separate it from the background slightly, and added a layer of vellum behind it. 

I then moved on to embellishing my layout. Normally the embellishing part is where I struggle the most when creating layouts, but I’m finding it really enjoyable with these P13 collections. It really helps that the collections tend to have a colour scheme, or at least a limited number of colours to them. The embellishments all match perfectly with all the patterned papers, so it offers so many different options when it comes to deciding what to use. 

As with Beyond the Sea, the Soulmate collection has plenty of opportunity for fussy-cutting! I spent some time cutting the individual elements from Paper #7, the florals from Paper #2 and the moths from Paper #3 and this gave me lots to work with! 

I started with the floral clusters as they are the biggest elements. I layered them underneath my photo and then I worked in some of the elements from Paper #7. I absolutely loved the owls, and although we weren’t feeding owls at the lake, owls have feathers and so they work for me! I also added in a round sticker from Sticker Sheet #3 with some of the same gold thread tangled behind it and a skeleton leaf from my stash.

I added a couple of the moths from Paper #3, raising them up on foam pads to give the appearance that they were flying.

For my title I’ve fussy-cut some of the letters from Paper #4 to make the word ‘ducks’ and then I’ve used Alpha Sticker Sheet #2 for the rest of my title. I had the problem that my alpha stickers were never going to show up against a navy background, so I stuck them onto white cardstock and cut them out leaving a thin border to help them stand out more.

I then finished my layout with a couple of phrase stickers from Sticker Sheet #1 under my title. 

So that’s another layout from me with no white cardstock! It’s becoming a habit with the P13 collections!! The thing is, the patterned papers are so beautiful I just HAVE to use them! 

If you’d like to watch how this layout came together, I have a process video up on my YouTube channel, which you can find here.

Until next time, take care

Rebecca x

Cocoa Vanilla Studio Sunkissed - Fun in the Sun

Hello, Karen C here with another layout using the bright & sunny Cocoa Vanilla Studio's Sunkissed collection. 

For my layout today I started with a 12"x12" sheet of white Bazzill cardstock which, after trimming 1/8 inch off of each edge, I matted onto a sheet of black cardstock.

In the centre of the layout I layered 7"x7" squares of the Sunny Days and Just Chillin papers. I also cut some strips from the Good Vibrations paper and tucked these underneath the sides of the squares. My photo was matted on black cardstock and placed on top of the layout with some 3D foam underneath to raise it up a little.

One of the Pocket Cards was attached to the layout next to the photo, with more 3D foam underneath.

Some of the gorgeous Glitter Foam Title Stickers were used for the title. I really like these foam stickers. The glitter really stays put and doesn't come off on your layout like some older glitter stickers do.

At the top and bottom of the layout I added strips of the Good Vibrations paper and some tags made from some of the Pocket Cards were used to ground clusters of embelishments.

White Twine was added to the tags and tied in bows. I then added some phrase strips and hearts from the die cut ephemera pack, Glitter Foam hearts, some Puffy Dots from Doodlebug and some stars punched from glitter card.

On the corner of the photo I stuck a clear sticker from a Me & My Big Ideas clear sticker book I had in my stash. I don't think the particular sticker book I have is now available, but there are many more similar sticker books still in the shop.

Tiny letter stickers were used to add the place name and date at the bottom of the layout and gold sequins were scattered around the layout.

To complete the layout I used a black gel pen to draw round the edges of the layout as well as the patterned papers and elements.

Thanks for looking. 

Take Care and I'll be back again soon.

Karen 

x x