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

Don't Forget Your Craft Punches!!

 Hi!! Lisa here.

How many of you have loads of craft punches but forget to use them?

Or are you like me and just use the same 2 all the time but have boxes of punches that never get looked at?

Let's change that!

Let's dust them off and give them some love.

I do have a video here if you'd like to watch.

We went to stay with friends in Essex. I took quite a few photos and picked up a map of the pier too that I included.

I chose this super pretty American Crafts paper collection here.

I had map paper already in place in my journal, but my photos looked so lost sat on it.

To make them pop I took a large scalloped square punch to sit behind the photos.

Then I used a circle punch on another paper and different shaped punches on top of the circles. 

 I even use the negative piece from the punched circles stapled on the side.

  I think it turned out great!

The map opens out.

I even punched a heart out of the map adding the paper behind and a sticker above.

And using a corner punch makes such a difference.

I really hope this encourages you to get your punches out next time you have a craft fix.

Have fun.

Lisa xx

August Papermaze Kit - Part 2

Lynn here today with the bright, summery August kit, which has been great fun to work with. Here are the first two layouts I have created with this kit. The kit is now available in store and online. Two more layouts featuring my granddaughter, one with all four generations and the other from a few weeks ago, washing her favourite soft toy. 

Before looking at how the layouts were made, this is what you will find inside the kit:

Patterned Papers:
Doodlebug Designs - Butterfly Kisses collection - Happy Thoughts & Garden Party
Echo Park - Have a Great Summer collection - Best Life Butterflies
Lawn Fawn - Bitsy Blooms collection - Begonia
Photoplay - This Happy Life collection - Sweet Hello
Simple Stories - Crafty Babe collection - Live. Love,.Scrap

The photo above shows both sides of the papers.

2 Doodlebug Designs cupcake doilies, Pretty Little Studio Berry Sweet Word Stickers, flair button, strip of jewels, 6 SS Simple Vintage Flower Shoppe Sentiment Bits & Pieces, Pretty Little Studio Word Cut Aparts You Are My Sunshine, Rosie's Studio 2 chipboard pieces Born to Bloom and 6 Doodlebug Designs All Aflutter stickers

Bazzill Basics Cardstock - Fussy, Aqua (included in kit), Granny Smith, Tangelo, Pollen and Coconut Swirl (in extra pack).

It's a Girl Thing! - This layout is for my sister's album and shows her with Florence, with all four generations. 

I started this layout with the Coconut Swirl Bazzill, then built up the design with several other papers from the kit.

The edges of all cut papers were inked with Distress Inks. I cut a 3" x 11" strip of Best Life Butterflies paper, and placed this to the left of the page. Then layered an 8.5" circle of Garden Party paper on top. 

I gutted the Begonia paper and saved the 1" frame for the next layout. The photos were then mounted onto the grid side of the remaining paper. I placed the photos onto the layout. One of the cupcake doilies from the kit was positioned under the left side photo. I cut a 2" white card circle to place over the centre of the doily, and wrote my journalling onto it. 

For the title I used a set of Doodlebug Designs Foam Stamps 'Simply Sweet' and some black acrylic paint to stamp the word 'Girl' onto the green side of the Garden Party paper. I cut these letters out and placed them onto the layout. Then with Doodlebug Designs Rub-ons 'All Mixed Up' Large Beetle Black, I added the rest of the title. 

Using more Doodlebug Designs Rub-ons 'All Mixed Up', this time small and Medium in Beetle Black, I spelt out the date and the subtitle. Also, from Doodlebug Designs I used some Sew-Easy Rub-on Stitches.

I created a large and small cluster of flowers to reflect the flowers on the papers. I used Bazzill cardstock from the kit and a few other shades from my own stash, and some old leaf and flower dies from my stash.

Bathing Bea Bee - My daughter decided Florence's soft toy bee needed a wash, so decided rather than take it away from her to do this, she involved her in the process of washing and drying the bee. She had a lovely time!

I made a frame for the layout using Begonia, before starting the first layout, and I'm using it here, daisy side up. I trimmed some Coconut Swirl Bazzill to 10.5" x 10.5" and heavily inked the edges with Distress Oxide Ink in Speckled Egg, as this is a great match for the paper.

I used the second doily from the kit over where my smaller photos will go on the right of the layout, and inked through and around it, to create a lacy pattern. With more ink mixed with a little water, I flicked more ink over the page.

Using various patterned paper scraps from the kit (Live. Love,.Scrap, Garden Party and Begonia), I cut some strips and placed them, overlapping one another to the left side of the page. My large photo was placed in the centre of the layout, with two smaller photos to each side.

The title was cut from Black and Pollen Bazzill, using the Spellbinders - Simple Stories - Say Cheese Classic Mouse Alphabet Die Set. These were mounted over one another, to create a shadow, and then arranged on the layout using 3D foam pads of alternate letters to add some texture.

I embellished the layout with items from the kit -  Pretty Little Studio Berry Sweet Word Stickers, flair button, strip of jewels, 6 SS Simple Vintage Flower Shoppe Sentiment Bits & Pieces and Rosie's Studio 2 chipboard pieces Born to Bloom.


This concludes the August kit, although there is still plenty of papers card and embellishments to create another layout.

I'll be back with the September kit very soon.
Thanks for looking.
Lynn x