Simple Stories - Pumpkins & Plaid - Pumpkin Patch

Hi everyone!

Claire here, and today I'm back with my second layout using the fun Pumpkins & Plaid collection from Simple Stories. It's such a gorgeous collection for this season - you can check it out in the shop here.

To start, I chose the Cider Season and Combo Elements papers, creating two large layered circles to form the base of my layout. For texture, I distressed the edges and adhered foam between each layer for depth.

I backed my three photos with two different green patterned papers from the 6x8 paper pad. These pads are great for using in smaller pieces as the patterns are scaled to size.

Next, I pulled out a selection of sheets from the 6x8 pad, focusing on the papers with orange, red and green tones to mirror the colours of autumn.  I pulled out a selection of leaf dies from my stash and set about cutting a variety of leaves from each sheet of paper.  If you've not had a browse of the leaf dies in the shop, I'd highly recommend it - so many to choose from, the possibilities are endless and they'll work across any collections you choose.

In between the leaves, I added some acorns, pumpkins, mushrooms and leaves from the Cardstock Sticker Icons and Foam Stickers which I love as it adds extra dimension, texture and interest in between the clusters.

I also added a 'Cute as a Pumpkin' foam sticker across the bottom of my photo and cut a tag from the Tag Elements paper which I layered behind the bottom photograph.

To balance the page, I again reached for the Foam Stickers and Cardstock Sticker Icons to create a cluster along the top edge of the circle.

I love that this includes so many fun icons for Autumn and gave me the opportunity to pull all the colours from the collection into the cluster. I also used this to house my Pumpkin Patch title, which I took from the Foam Stickers, which you may know, are my favourite items in a Simple Stories collection.

As a final touch, I added a few Nuvo Jewel Drops around the edge of the inner circle, just for a little extra detail and texture - and with that -the page was done!

Thank you for joining me on the blog today. I hope i've inspired you to start thinking about documenting your Autumnal stories. I'd definitely recommend this gorgeous Pumpkins & Plaid collection - I can't wait to scrap with it some more!

Until next time, happy scrapping!

Claire xx

@scrappysoulmate

Carta Bella - Pressed Floral - Good Life

Hello,

It's Claire on the blog today, and I'm sharing a very pretty layout made with the gorgeous Pressed Florals collection from Carta Bella. 

Along with gorgeous florals, this collection has lots of frames, both in the Ephemera Packs and on the cut apart papers, so I decided to make a layout that enabled me to create lots of paper layers with staggered frames too.

To start, I added some Tumbled Glass blue Distress Oxide to my page using the packaging technique. Once this was dry, I used the same colour distress oxide and a dry brush to add some stencilling detail. 

I cut three pieces of paper, layering them across the middle of the page. I used the A and B side of the Grow Your Own Way Stems paper and the Dried Wildflower paper as my base layers. 

Next, I fussy cut two frames (one green and one golden yellow) from the 6x4 Journalling Cards paper. 

I also pulled a smaller yellow frame from the Tags and Frames pack, and cut this in half to extend it across either side of the design. For my gold yellow frame in the middle, I chose to mount it onto a piece of the pink card from the Matchmaker Pack using foam. This gave me a base for my photo to sit whilst also providing extra depth around the photo. 

Then came the fun bit. Those gorgeous florals, tags and ephemera pieces! 

I fussy cut the flowers and leaves from the 3x4 Journalling Cards paper and arranged these around my page to frame the photo. For extra interest, I also added in some die cut foliage using dies from the Arden Creative Studio ranges. 

In amongst one of the floral clusters, I added a tag and small ephemera piece for extra interest. 

I echoed this with another tag from the Frames and Tags set to form my title. 

I've really loved creating with this collection, as I've really missed creating with pretty florals during the colder winter months! 

I hope you've enjoyed this blog post and are also ready for some pretty Spring crafting! 

Happy creating! 

Claire xx

@scrappysoulmate

Carta Bella - Christmas in the City - Smile

Hello!

Claire here today and I've been using up the last bits of my Christmas in the City collection from Carta Bella. 

I quite enjoy this time of year from a create perspective, seeing how versatile a Christmas collection can be and this one did not disappoint.

I've opted to scrap a picture from one of our walks over the festive period. It's was very cold and frosty and although we definitely weren't in a city, the papers still worked fantastically well for my photo and I love how they could be adapted for my layout theme.

So to start, I cut varying widths of papers using the mustard cardstock from the Matchmaker Pack, Merry Snowflake Sky (red) and Christmas Tree Cab (green b side). 

I began layering them vertically and horizontally but wanted to add extra framing. To create this, I cut two triangles from a square of the blue b side of the Merry Snowflake Sky paper, and layered this underneath my red paper to frame the corners. I love this bold edge - I think it helps the red paper to pop off the page. 

I also opted for a small splash of mixed media, adding dry Distress Oxide with a brush to extend the grass colours of the photo. 

I really love the Peace on Earth Pines paper - it reminds me of beautiful festive foliage so felt very  fitting as the border for my photo. I added this to my other papers with foam for extra dimension. 

Next, I raided my stash of dies and chose some snowflakes which I cut from plain white cardstock. There's an amazing choice of dies in the shop, and they're such fun to incorporate into your project. I'd highly recommend you take a peek! You can find loads of snowflake dies here. 

To the centres of each snowflake, I added a small sticker from the Element Stickers which echoes the colours of the paper into the snowflakes, making it feel more cohesive. 

I also chose to use the little pennant stickers to create a small banner cluster to the left of my photo along with the December sticker to note the month of the photo. 

I pulled some Thickers from my stash to create my Smile title, and lightly added some green watercolour pain to each letter to pull in the green colour. 

To finish, I added a small sprinkling of Pinkfresh Studio Crystals which give the slightest sparkle and help bring this frosty page to life! There are some Pinkfresh Jewels in the shop here.

I hope you've enjoyed this layout and are inspired to stretch your own Christmas collections. 

Until next month, happy scrapping! 

Claire

@scrappysoulmate

Pretty Little Studio - You Are My Sunshine - Happy Dog

Hello,

It's Claire here today sharing a new layout with the You Are My Sunshine collection from Pretty Little Studio. Check out the collection in full here. 

For this layout, I'm focusing on those gorgeous scallops from the Be Cheerful paper.

I fussy cut each strip in varying lengths and then chose 8 to use on my page, focusing on the solid colours rather than the bold patterned strips.

I layered these vertically, laying the scallops back to back. I only adhered the straight edge of each strip with glue, meaning I could lightly ruffle the edges to lift the scalloped edge off the page, creating dimension. 

Next I mounted my photos on a piece of green card from the Matchmaker Pack. I raised the photos on foam, offsetting them against the scallops. 

To embellish, I reached for the stars from the Under the Stars die cuts and scattered these around my photo. 

Then, to turn this from a bright summery layout into a warm autumnal layout, I grabbed some leaf dies and cut some leaves from the cardstock in the Matchmaker pack, which matches the colours in the collection perfectly. 

I inked the edges of the leaves for extra interest and mixed this in amongst the stars. 

To create the title, I grabbed some alphas from my stash and positioned the title along the vertical edge of the scallop. 

As a final touch, I added some phrases from the Pet Lovers Word Stickers. 

I hope you've enjoyed this blog and have been inspired to create. 

Until next month, happy scrapping! 

Claire xx

@scrappysoulmate 

Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Life in Bloom - Life is a Journey

Hello,

It's Claire here today, and this month I am going to be creating with the Simple Stories Simple Vintage Life in Bloom collection. 

This gorgeous collection has been re-released and is back by popular demand. I didn't purchase any of this collection during its first release and instantly regretted it.  Having got a second chance, I couldn't wait to create with it and wow! It really is stunning!!

Upon first glance, you'd probably say this was quite a summery collection, but I really wanted to create an autumnal layout - No problem - this collection has it all!!

To start, I grabbed a sheet of Bazzill White Cardstock and applied a thin coat of clear gesso as I planned to add mixed media.

In the meantime whilst the gesso dried, I made some maple leaves following this video I found on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=All296p9kk4&t=8s

I selected two papers from the 6x8 Paper Pad. It has some really beautiful patterned papers - one pink and orange Gingham, and a newspaper print which were perfect to create the leaves.

To add definition and help them stand off the page, I inked the edges of the newspaper print in pink and orange Distress Oxide, and outlined the gingham leaves with a black Sharpie.

I lay these in a vertical cluster down the page and drew lightly around the edge so that I knew where to place my mixed media. For the pink and orange leaves, I used pink and orange watercolour, and for the newspaper print, I used black paint.

To give an extra pop of colour, I cut some smaller leaves with a die, using the turquoise paper again from the 6x8 paper pad.

I folded and curled the leaves to create a rustling leaves feel to the page. I adhered the large maple leaves with foam to create dimension and movement, and lay the blue leaves flat, adhering just the base to the page with Glossy Accents. This allowed me to bend the tops of the leaves up to give some extra interest.

Next, I took my photo which I had made into a circle so it would sit nicely amongst the leaf clusters, and backed it on a piece of the  Black Gingham paper. I love the pop of black against these brighter colours. It really helps bring my photos to life.

For my title, I reached for the Foam Stickers, using this big Bold Life piece to help tie in extra black into the layout.

Alongside this, I added an extra foam sticker saying 'is a journey'. I thought this would be appropriate as the changing leaves and arrival of a new season always chimes as a new chapter and it also seemed fitting for my photo, where my dog is zooming off into the woods, ready to start a new adventure! 

For a small extra detail, I wanted to add a pop of green, echoing the photograph, so took this small butterfly from the Sticker Book, adhering flat straight to the page.

I mirrored this with a small leaf sprig from the Floral Bits & Pieces on the right had side of the design to balance the colours.

Just above the leaves, I also added a butterfly from the Foam Stickers, nestled in amongst the leaves. 

I splashed some ink using Black Nuvo Drops and some Shimmerz Vibez around the page, and added three decorative brads sprinkled across the design to add an extra bit of interest. Really love these, the silver edges really catch the light.

To anchor the design, I felt like it needed a border, so I gutted the Make Time paper and trimmed 1/4" from around my white cardstock, mounting it onto the border piece. This paper works so well as it contains all the colours from the layout and really helps to pull it all together.

As a finishing touch, I added a black doodle border around the edge.

I hope you've enjoyed this layout and it's inspired you to check out the collections you have in your stash that may not be specific to the season. I had great fun making this one and look forward to coming back with some more projects later this month.

In the meantime, you can check out this collection in full here.

See you then!

Claire xx

@scrappysoulmate

Pinkfresh Studio - Happy Blooms - Tea for Two

Hello everyone,

Claire here with you again sharing my second layout with the Pinkfresh Studio Happy Blooms collection.  You can find this gorgeous collection in the shop here.

Now, for this layout, I wanted to make some paper straws, and base my design around them - here's how it turned out:

I started with a piece of Premium White Cardstock, and begun to make the straws with that stunning striped paper called Handkerchief (it's the B side of the bold green patterned paper). 

I cut strips of about 2.5 inches wide in various lengths and rolled them around a paintbrush to create the straw, securing in place with red tape.

Now, I will say that the quality of Pinkfresh Studio papers is second to none - the papers are a little bit thicker than standard patterned paper which did make rolling the paper trickier than I expected, but I took my time and they worked perfectly.

I tried various designs, but in the end settled on a circular layout (I'm loving circles at the moment), and cut a circular mat from the Daydream paper to use as the anchor of my page, distressing the edges before placing centrally on my page.

I laid my straws in a staggered design to the left hand side of the circle, securing in pace with Glossy Accents. Next, I matted my photographs, using the green side of the Handkerchief paper and Heirloom paper.  I placed one on the circle base with foam pads, and the second laid flat on top of the straws. The overlapping of the pictures on different levels of the page created fabulous volume and dimension.

With the design now complete, I began to embellish.

I made a tag from the Homegrown cut apart paper and added an eyelet and string from my stash, tucking it under my photo.

Next, I took some flowers from the Floral cardstock Ephemera pack, curling the flowers and placing them around the outer edge of the circle and around the straws.

I also took some strawberries from the Cardstock Ephemera Pack and placed these on top of my straws, along with some of the flowers to create a cluster around my photograph.

Opposite, I created another cluster, using some of the food and drink elements from the cardstock ephemera pack, to sit alongside my photos of our cream tea.

For my title, I used those beautiful bold green Puffy Alpha Stickers - these are fabulous! They're one of my favourite alpha sets. They create such striking titles.

To finish the page off, I placed a banner from the Journaling Bits pack across the straws, distressing and curling this at the edges to create movement. 

Finally, I added some die cut leaves from my stash and some of those unbelievably amazing New Pinkfresh Jewels in Ballet Slipper - Trust me, you need these!! :) 

So, that was the page complete. I think this collection is my new favourite. The colours, paper patterns, alphas, journaling bits, ephemera and stickers provide so many options. I think it's all just stunning.

I hope this has given you some inspiration. I will be back with one more layout later this month with this collection and I have set myself a challenge - no white cardstock! 

See you soon.

Claire.

Happy Life - Cocoa Vanilla Studio - Daydream Collection

Hello, Rebecca with you today with a bonus layout created using the beautiful 'Daydream' collection by Cocoa Vanilla Studio.

I started my layout by drawing a heart onto the 'Stepping Stones' patterned paper. I sectioned the heart into a starburst effect, and then cut out every other section. I then went around all the edges with the blade of my scissors to distress them. 

I used some water-soluble art crayons mixed with water to create a mixed media background. I used different shades of blue to mimic the colour of my husband's shirt in the photo. I created my background by using the packaging technique and by adding splatters with a paintbrush. I didn't go too mad - I just covered the centre of the page so that the mixed media showed through the open starburst sections of my heart.

I used the outer edges of the same patterned paper to add a border either side of my layout. I felt like I needed to bring in some of the darker tones in the collection as areas of my photo are quite dark. I did this by matting my photo onto the dark B-side of the 'Up in the Clouds' patterned paper - and again distressing the edges.

I fixed my heart to the centre of my page at an angle using double sided tape for the centre and foam pads for the outter edges to add dimension. I placed my photo off-centre onto the heart and begun to embellish!

Most of my embellishments on this layout have been fussy-cut from the 'Garden Variety' floral patterned paper. I've also tucked in some white die-cut leaves and some co-ordinating thread tangles.

Once the larger embellishments were in place, I worked on adding some smaller elements to the layout. I used some heart stickers and phrases from the Accessory Stickers sheet, and a Flair Button tucked in among the florals and added my title using the Die-Cut Titles.

I finished my layout by adding some Nuvo Drops in co-ordinating shades of yellow and blue.

I hope you've enjoyed the layouts I've created with this collection. As I said right at the beginning of the month - it's not my usual 'style' of collection at all, but it was so pretty I wanted to use it and challenge myself to create some layouts with a different 'feel'. And I'm so glad I did!

If you have access to YouTube, and you'd like to watch this layout coming together, you can check out my process video Here.

For October, I'll be working with the new 'Boo Crew' collection by Simple Stories. I've already started creating with it, so check back later in the month to see what layouts I make!

Until then, take care.

Rebecca x