September Crop

 We are heading full steam towards this month's crop on Saturday, in our usual venue of Otley Village Hall.  This month's beautiful kit has been created by Janina...   

There will be the usual array of home-baked cakes, tea & coffee, plus punches and dies for you to use.  The crop starts at 10am and ends at 4pm, and you get a discount on any goodies you buy in the shop.  If you'd like to join us, just drop me a message!

Carta Bella It's Autumn - Autumn Colours

Hello, Karen here. 

Whilst visiting the website for Echo Park / Carta Bella recently I stumbled across their free downloadable PDF project instructions. These projects are created by the Echo Park Design Team and each PDF is a complete guide that includes a photo of a finished project, a detailed supply list of the Echo Park/Carta Bella products used, and step-by-step instructions. I decided to put one of these projects to the test, and I can't recommend them enough. So, if you're looking for more inspiration (than you can find on this blog!) be sure to check out their website for some free inspiration on how to use the collections stocked in the Papermaze shop.

The project I chose was designed for Carta Bella's "On The Farm" collection, but I decided to adapt it using the beautiful "It's Autumn" collection instead. I made a few small changes to the layout to suit the papers and embellishments I had.

I began by taking a sheet of white cardstock. After trimming it slightly, I adhered it to the B-side of the Multi Journaling Cards paper, creating a narrow border around the outside.

Using white thread, I machine-stitched a straight line around the inside edge of the white cardstock.

Towards the top of the layout I layered pieces of the Pumpkin to Talk About, Color of Fall Leaves and Fall Festivities papers. On top of the layered papers I added 3 photos which had been matted with white cardstock. I added 3D foam under the photos to add some dimension.

Beneath the layers of paper and photos, I added the title. The words were cut using my Silhouette machine with papers from the collection. To make the letters in the word 'Autumn' stand out, I created white mats for each one before sticking them to the page.

Journaling was printed onto white cardstock and after punching the left edge with a notebook border punch, the journaling block was tucked beneath the title.

I embellished the layout with stickers from the Element Stickers sheet and a few enamel dots.

This project came together so quickly and I'll definitely be taking advantage of the free project instructions on the Echo Park and Carta Bella websites again.

Until next time, Take Care.

Karen x x

September Papermaze Kit - Part 1

Hello, Lynn here today, I have two layouts for you from the new September Kit. This pair show photos from the same day, at two different places visited, because I used papers and embellishments from the same lovely 49 and Market collection, they also make a good double layout. 

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

Patterned Papers:
49 and Market - Nature's Haven collection - Busy Bee & Happy Place
Carta Bella - On The Farm collection - Farm Life Floral 
Mintay Papers - Wildwood Secrets collection - MT-WIS-04 & MT-WIS-05
Mintay Papers - Music Garden collection - MT-MUS-04

The photo below shows both sides of the papers:

Embellishments:
Selection of Laser Cuts - 49 and Market - Nature's Haven, 3 Little Birdie Flowers, Little Birdie butterfly, 2 Doodlebug bitty berries strawberries, P13 Till We Meet Again alpha sheet, 1 acrylic phrase and 1m pink twine.

Bazzill Basics Cardstock - Touch of Pink, Lily Pond (included in kit), Hibiscus, Bark, Avocardo & Powder Blue (in extra pack). 

Mudchute Park and Farm 

For the base of this layout, I chose the Busy Bee paper from 49 and Market's Nature's Haven collection. The gingnham and flowers and strawberries are perfect for the photos. 

I mounted my photos onto the Touch of Pink Bazzill, and arranged them onto the paper. 

The kit contains a selection of 49 and Market - Nature's Haven Wildflowers Laser Cuts, and I added to these with my own pack of the same. I also used a few pieces from a pack of Laser Cut Elements. These were used to build up the image clusters, already on the paper. Some of the elements were raised up with 3D foam pads.

The title and date involved some stash busting! I used several sheets of alphabet stickers in shades to work with the paper collection. They are old Basic Grey alphabet stickers. 

Enjoy Today

For this page I used the other sheet of Nature's Haven paper supplied in the kit - Happy Place. 

The photos were mounted in the same was as before with the Bazzill mounts. I had to purchase a second sheet of Touch of Pink Bazzill, as I also used it for my tags.

I cut one large and two small tags from the Bazzill, I used the Tim Holtz, Tag Collection Sizzix die set. The reinforcement ring for the larger tag was cut from the Hibiscus Bazzill. 

I inked the edges of the tags with Distress Ink - Festive Berries. I tied some red and white Baker's Twine into the holes. The journalling was written on the two small tags, and I used the exclusive acrylic phrase, on the large tag for the title. 

I arranged the photos and tags, then added lots more from the Laser Cuts and Laser Cut Elements. I created some new image clusters around the photos and added some bugs and butterflies around my large tag. 3D foam pads were used to add definition to some elements. 

That's all for today, I will be back with more from this kit in a couple of weeks. 
Thanks for looking.
Lynn x

Stories | Book Fair by Simple Stories

 Hello everyone! Rebecca Bee here today sharing my second layout using Simple Stories Book Fair. This collection is mainly school themed but the book worm in me couldn't help but notice the book imagery in the collection, so I decided to create a page to document the books I've read up to the halfway-point of the year so far.

On some white Bazzil Cardstock, I have added a panel of yellow patterned paper from the Way to Go paper to give a pop of bright colour and an area to ground the layout- a little like a table to stack all of my books on!

I've fussy cut lots of the books from the Hit The Books patterned paper, some as clusters of books and some as individual books so I could give the book stacks a messy uneven feel- a little like my own 'To Be Read' pile! Some have been popped up on adhesive foam and others flush to the cardstock and tucked behind to give the feel of dimension.

I fussycut a cute little worm and the "book worm" words from the Tag Elements paper, and I used some of the book related word stickers from the Element Stickers. 

I added a little touch of coordinating Distress Oxide ink blending peeking out in small areas from under the yellow panel of paper and added a perspex title from my stash that suited the bookish theme.

I use an app on my phone to track what I have read or want to read, as that makes it easier to find other books I'd enjoy so I just printed the monthly roundup photos that I had generated thus far in 2025. I've read some really amazing books since June so will definitely be adding those on a year end layout in December! 

Do you track your reading? If so I hope you find this page inspiring! 

Until next time, Rebecca Bee

aka Scrap Paper

XOXO

Photoplay - Lucky Cat - Time to Get Away

Hi Guys,

Claire here, and this month I'll be creating with the fabulous Lucky Cat collection from Photoplay.

Surprisingly, this is not a pet themed collection, but is Japanese and Asian inspired - perfect for scrapping those takeaway nights, meals out and far flung trips to the Far East! The possibilities are endless!

I've been lucky enough to travel to a few destinations across South East Asia and have so many photos, but I find them notoriously difficult to scrap as no typical collections really suit the photos or convey the feeling I'm looking for so I'm super excited to get some of these stories documented.

My first layout is bold and dramatic - capturing pictures from a photography night tour in Tokyo.

Because this took place late at night, I chose a piece of Premium Black cardstock for my base. I cut a strip of the Cherry Blossom paper about 2" wide, and layered smaller strips of the yellow and red card from the Matchmaker Pack underneath along with a small strip of black for extra depth.

Using the Red cardstock from the Matchmaker Pack, I cut a dragon from a design I found in my Cricut library.  I added extra light and shade to the dragon by brushing Black Soot Distress Oxide around some of the edges, and spritzed with gold ink for an extra bit of sparkle.

I cut the dragon in half and tucked it underneath the paper strips, and then added a row of Gold Nuvo Drops along the top of the paper strip to enhance the richness of the page.

I mounted my photos with the b side of the Lucky Cat paper and then embellished on either side using stickers from the Element Stickers.

Thank you for joining me on the blog today. I hope it's shown you can make an impactful, bold layout with just a few key pieces. 

Join me again on the 24th when I'll share my second layout with this collection, which is going to go from bold and dramatic to peaceful and serene.  I'll see you then!

Happy scrapping!

Claire xx

@scrappysoulmate 

Fabulous Fall Vibes - Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Autumn Breeze Collection

Hi everyone,

It’s Rebecca here on the blog today! I’m feeling a bit torn about September… On one hand, I’m excited for autumn and all its beautiful colours. But on the other, I’m really sad to see summer go! One thing that always helps ease the transition is seeing the gorgeous new autumn collections arriving in the shop—and this month, I’ve been working with Simple Stories “Simple Vintage Autumn Breeze.” You can find the full collection in the shop here. I always look forward to the Simple Vintage lines as we head into autumn, and this one definitely didn’t disappoint!

 

To start my layout, I tore strips from two different patterned papers. I chose a subtle, neutral paper for the top layer, backed with a more colourful one for contrast. Down the left-hand side of the page, I arranged a cascade of Polaroid-style frames, which I fussy-cut from the Crisp Days patterned paper.

I hollowed out the centre of one frame and backed it with my photo, adding foam behind it for dimension. Placing it centrally among the other frames helped it stand out. I also tucked a larger piece of ephemera from the Ephemera pack behind the framed photo to add some extra detail.

 

For my title, I chose the word ‘Fabulous’ from the Foam Stickers, and placed it to the right of my photo—raised up on foam pads for added depth. Underneath, I added a smaller foam sticker to extend the title. I love combining fonts like this—it adds visual interest and a playful feel to the page.

With the larger elements in place, I started embellishing. I fussy-cut some tags from the Tag Elements paper, punched metal eyelets through each, and arranged them around the layout for extra texture and charm.

 

Next, I turned to the Floral Bits & Pieces. I selected a few floral clusters and layered them around the layout, including a sticker from the Elements Stickers to complete the cluster in the top-right corner.

At this point, I needed to decide on a background. I’d been building everything on Premium White Cardstock, but it felt a bit too stark—it just wasn’t making the elements pop. The great thing about adhering your layout pieces together first is that you can lift them off and try different backgrounds underneath!

After testing several patterned papers, I fell in love with the bold orange Journal Elements paper (B side). It really brought out all the other colours on the page. It was a bit of a daring choice for me, but I’m so glad I went for it!

To finish off the layout, I added a couple of tabs from the Bits & Pieces and some mini heart foam stickers. I love how these tiny, last-minute touches pull everything together without overwhelming the page.

Thanks so much for reading—I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing how this layout came together. I’ll be back later this month to share my second layout using this stunning collection.

Take care, 
Rebecca xx

@preciouspagespapercraft

Simple Stories ~ Happy Travels 🧭 #1

Hi everyone, it’s Anna back with you today. 

This month I’m working with Simple Stories Happy Travels which you can find in the shop - here. 

This collection has been out for a couple of months now, but it’s still available in the shop and it is perfect to document your post summer holiday travels.  

To create this layout I gutted ‘Travel Buddies’ and trimmed down some white bazzill cardstock, leaving about an inch on each side. I adhered the cardstock to ‘Travel Buddies’ creating a border. 

I then printed my photos and mounted them onto coordinating cardstock in strips. 

I cut out some journaling elements from ‘Journal Elements’ and placed them alongside my photo strips to use as my journaling boxes. 

I added some element stickers around the layout, including the ‘Let’s go exploring’ title, at the top of one of my photo strips. 

I wanted to add in some extra detail to the top right of the layout. So I cut out a small section of paper from 3x4 journaling cards, along with a couple of element stickers. 

Thanks so much for looking! 

See you later in the month with another layout using this collection. 

Anna 

@acraftylifewithanna

American Crafts Vicki Boutin's Cut & Paste - Our Little Sunshine

Hello, Karen here again with a final layout using Vicki Boutin's Cut & Paste collection.

A beautiful piece of patterned paper can be the perfect starting point for a scrapbook layout, but what if you're torn between two gorgeous papers? I recently faced this dilemma with Paper #4 and Paper #6 from the collection. For some time, I thought each of these papers would make a good base on its own. But in the end I used both on one layout.

I started by trimming down Paper #6 just a bit, then mounted it onto a sheet of black cardstock to create a narrow black border.

Next, I took Paper #4 and carefully cut out all the pink squares. To make sure they really stood out from the background, I used a black fine-liner pen to draw a thin line just inside the edge of each square. This prevented the squares from blending into the background when I arranged and stuck them in rows across the top section of the layout.

I matted my 6x4-inch photo onto black cardstock to match the layout's border and placed it on the left side. For the title, I dug into my stash and found some older die-cut words from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. I arranged these words to hug the photo.

With the photo in place, I turned my attention to the right side of the layout, where I created an embellishment cluster using die cuts from the Ephemera Icons pack. 

The pack included a cute dog die cut, which I absolutely had to use. I added it into the cluster, then added a puffy word sticker from a sheet of Thickers. 

Right behind the embellishment cluster, I tucked in two tags that I cut from Paper #8. I threaded some black and white baker's twine through them, and they're now the perfect spot for some journaling—once I find the right words.

This layout came together so quickly, and I’m really happy I was able to use two of my favourite papers from the collection on a single project. If you love this look, be sure to pop over to the shop and check out the Cut & Paste collection for yourself.

Until next time, take care

Karen x x