Vicki Boutin Peppermint Kisses - 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

As we are getting closer to Christmas I have been playing with Vicki Boutin's Peppermint Kisses collection form American Crafts. 

I started by layering a trimmed down a sheet of the Winter Magic paper onto a sheet of the Sweet Holiday Wishes paper leaving a narrow border round the edges. I made sure to gut the pink paper before attaching the teal paper so that I had paper left to mat my photos.

Using a cut file from Peartree Cutfiles I cut my title from smooth white cardstock and attached this to the top half of the layout. 

I thought of backing the cut file or even creating a shaker pocket from it, but in the end decided instead to simply embellish it with sequins. I took some white, blue and pink sequins, which matched the colours in the paper, and glued a few inside each letter of the title. I like the sparkle the sequins add to the layout.

I then took four small photos and matted these with the remaining Sweet Holiday Wishes paper. Two of the matted photos were placed at the top of the layout either side of the title with 3D foam underneath, and two photos were attached to the front of a couple of tags cut from the sheet of tags. The tags were placed at the bottom of the layout with more 3D foam beneath.

Through the holes in the tags I threaded a piece of white twine.

Underneath the tags I placed a couple of die cut phrase strips from the pack of Journaling Ephemera. 

At the top of the page I added another die cut phrase strip to one of the photos and some Puffy Phrase Stickers.

To add more texture to the layout I took some silver embroidery floss and stitched onto the Christmas Tree images at the bottom of the page. I used a simple back stitch on one of the trees .....

.... and chain stitch on the other. More sequins were used to embellish the trees as well as some enamel dots.

Finally I printed some journalling strips on the computer and placed these in the bottom right corner of the layout and dotted some more white sequins around the layout.

Simple Stories - Boho Sunshine - Slide into Summer

Today I have a project to share using the Boho Sunshine collection from Simple Stories. This summery collection is described by Simple Stories as being a " whimsical collection filled with good vibes, rainbows and sunshine. A hipster collection filled with all of the goodness of summer and “be happy” thoughts". I couldn't agree more! It's such a bright, happy collection.

For this layout I chose to use photos taken at a funfair in the summer of 1973.

I teamed the bright colours in the collection with black and matted all the papers I used with smooth black cardstock. I started by matting a sheet of the Groovy paper, which had been trimmed to 11"x11" and then machine stitched round the edges with black thread,

I printed four photos with white borders onto one sheet of 5x7 photo paper and matted them onto black cardstock and then onto a piece of the Happy Day paper. 

The photos were then layered onto pieces of the Smile Big (A & B Side) paper and placed onto the layout. with 3D foam underneath to lift them up a little.

Using my Silhouette Cameo and a retro font I die cut the title from more black cardstock and stuck this to the left side of the layout.

Using one of the tags from the sheet of Tag Elements as a base, I created a cluster of  embellishments using pieces from the Floral Bits & Pieces pack and Sticker Book.  I chose pieces which reminded me of summer holidays - sunglasses, ice-creams, cameras, etc and also used alphabet stickers from the sticker book to create a sub-title. The tag was tied with some white string and added to the layout with 3D foam underneath for a little extra dimension.

Next to the photos I placed my journalling using word strips printed on the computer.

Finally, I added a few die cut flowers from the Bits & Pieces pack and flower stickers from the sticker book.

Carta Bella Welcome Fall - Hello Autumn

Today I have a layout that I've created using a digital cut file from Paige Evans and the the beautiful new Welcome Fall collection from Carta Bella. This collection features traditional fall/autumn colours and images of pumpkins, autumn leaves, florals, etc. 

As well as using the new 'Welcome Fall' collection I have also included some scraps of last years 'Welcome Autumn' collection in my layout. 

I started my layout with a sheet of Acorns and Leaves paper. I trimmed about a quarter of an inch from each edge and them matted the B side onto a sheet of white 12x12 cardstock and machine stitched round the edges using white thread.

Using my Silhouette Cameo I then cut Paige Evans Leaf Background file from smooth white cardstock, sizing it so that it would fit my layout with a small border round the outside.

Using scraps of papers from the Welcome Autumn collection and some gold mirror card I backed the cut file.

The backed cut file was added to the layout but before gluing it down I splattered some gold Heidi Swapp Color Shine on the background paper. It doesn't show too well in the photographs but in real life it adds a little extra shine.

My four photos were matted in pairs onto more gold mirror card and then placed on top of the cut file.

I fussy cut some flowers from the Autumn Blooms paper and used these to embellish the page, placing clusters of flowers on the corners of the photos.

I also cut a phrase from a tag in the Frames and Tag Ephemera Pack and placed this on top of one of the flowers as a title.

Finally I added a few gold sequins and the date using letters die cut from the gold mirror card.

Echo Park Endless Summer - Catch a Wave

Today on the Papermaze blog I have my first layout using the fabulous Endless Summer collection from Echo Park. This collection is so bright and sunny and is perfect for scrapbooking photos of days spent on the beach or in the pool but would also work equally well with any bright sunny photos. For my layout I chose a few photos of Lara body-boarding at the beach.

I used just one sheet of paper from the collection - Colors of the Sun. This paper is filled with a huge multi-coloured sun burst. I trimmed 5mm off of each edge of the paper, sliced all the sun rays up (leaving the centre circle intact) and then attached the whole sheet to a piece of white cardstock with double sided tape down the centre of each sun ray.

Using white sewing thread I straight stitched along the edge of each sun ray and then using my finger nails I bent each edge upwards. This creates lots of dimension and gives the layout more interest.

I trimmed a large photo into a circle and added this to the centre of the sun burst placing it slightly off centre, so that the yellow circle is still visible underneath, and raised it up on 3D foam. Three 4x3 rectangular photos were matted onto white cardstock and added to the left side of the layout with more 3D foam underneath. The photo was embellished with pieces from the chipboard accents sheet. 

To add more interest to the layout, using my Silhouette Cameo I die cut some waves from white cardstock and placed these horizontally on the layout. More 3D foam was placed underneath the waves.

Finally I printed some journalling onto some yellow cardstock and added this to the bottom left corner of the layout.

P13 There is No Planet B - Let's Make Lemonade

Today I am documenting an afternoon spent making lemonade using P13's There Is No Planet B collection and have chosen items from the collection which fitted that theme.

I started my layout with a sheet of pale blue Bazzill Basics cardstock and in the centre of this I layered a sheet of white cardstock which I trimmed slightly so that a narrow border of blue showed round the edges. Torn strips of washi tape (from my stash) were stuck to some of the edges and then I machine stitched all the way round the layout using white thread. Pale blue watercolour paint was painted onto the background where I planned to position my photos and patterned paper.

I cut a couple of the panels from paper #01 and positioned these onto the background to look like shelves. My four 2.5" x 3.5" photos were matted using some of the journalling cards from paper #05 and these were placed on the 'shelves' with 3D foam underneath to raise them up a little.

More torn washi tape strips were added below the shelves. 

Extra images of lemons, bottles and plants were fussy cut from paper #07 and added to the shelves.

Peach coloured foam letter stickers were used to create the title which was positioned underneath the top shelf.

Finally, I fussy cut a clothes peg from paper #07 and the words 'Home Made' from one of the decorative tags and using some natural coloured twine I created an embellishment cluster in the top left corner of the layout.

I'm really enjoying using this collection. Using soft colours rather than bright vibrant colours on a layout is a refreshing change for me and it's good to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while. 

Paige Evans Go The Scenic Route - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Hand Stitching)

Another layout today using Paige Evans latest collection called Go The Scenic Route. 

My layout today is inspired by, and based entirely on paper #9. This pretty pale lilac sheet of paper reminded me of an old fashion embroidered sampler and I immediately knew I wanted to do some hand stitching on my layout.

I started by machine stitching with white thread round the edge of the layout. Then, using 6 strands of embroidery thread in pink, orange and navy blue I stitched detached chain stitches (also called lazy daisy stitch) on top of some of the printed leaves. This added texture to the layout and emphasised the design. The stitching didn't take too long and was quite relaxing to do.

I then matted my four photos onto white Bazzill cardstock and attached these to the layout with 3D foam underneath to add depth. Before gluing down the photos I carefully fussy cut some of the flowers from the base paper, which would have been hidden by the photos, and added these to the corners of the layout, again with foam beneath them.

I tucked a few die cuts from the Journal Ephemera Pack behind the top two photos ....

...and added a few pieces on top of the bottom two photos. Bakers Twine was added to the Magical tag .

I dug into my stash and found some pink puffy alpha stickers from Pinkfresh Studio for the title and date. The title was added in an arc to follow the design on the paper.

To finish off the layout I added some sequins to the centres of some of the flowers and on a sheet of Doodlebug Shape Sprinkles I found some teeny tiny navy blue dots (like enamel dots) which I dotted about the layout.

Carta Bella By The Sea - Crab Fishing

This is my first project using the fabulous Carta Bella's By The Sea collection. The papers in this collection have images of anchors, lighthouses, stripes, plaids and crabs in shades of red, white, blue, navy and with some wood grain also thrown in. The collection is obviously perfect for sea-side photos but many of the papers (particularly the B sides) are versatile enough for many others themes.

For my first project I decided to create a scrapbook layout using some photos taken last summer whist crab fishing on Beaumaris Pier. 

I started with the Beach Woodgrain paper. I love any woodgrain papers (and ledger papers too!) and with photos taken on the deck of a wooden pier it was an obvious choice. On the left side of the paper I stuck a 1" wide strip of white Bazzill cardstock and glued a knotted piece of natural twine where the two papers met.

A 5" strip of the Sailor Stripe (B Side) red crab paper was then stuck to the layout and a very narrow strip of navy cardstock was added to the right edge. My four photos which each measure just under 4"x3" were matted onto some white cardstock and then placed on top of the red paper strip. Using white thread I machine stitched along the edges of some of the papers.

On the lower right side of the layout I placed a journalling card which I printed my journalling onto. On top of the card I layered lots of bits and pieces. I added a clothing tag from a recent purchase, a 'crab shack' image printed from the internet, 'By the Sea' word strip from the Ephemera, Frames and Tags pack,  'Collect Beautiful Moments' Tim Holtz Idea-ology Quote Chip, a navy blue button, photo corner and a wood veneer crab. I found several wooden crabs in my stash and have no idea where or when I bought them, but if ever they were going to appear on a layout, this was the one!

Underneath the journalling card I tucked some red netting which I rescued from a pack of mini cheese portions. I thought the net resembled fishing net and gave some extra texture.

At the top of the layout I layered more of the pieces from the Ephemera, Frames and Tags pack some more net, another button and another wooden crab. Machine stitching was added to some of the paper pieces.

I used some Simple Stories Sn@p letter stickers for my title. The stickers were originally white but I coloured them with a marker pen to match the other blue elements on my layout.

The layout was completed with the addition of another one of those wooden crabs, a button and more Tim Holtz Quote Chips.

I'm really please how this layout turned out, The collection was perfect for the subject and with it I think I managed to capture the nautical/marine feel I was hoping to achieve. I'm really looking forward to creating more with this collection and will be back later in the month to share with you what I make.

Hey Crafty Girl - Create a Beautiful Life

This month I've been playing with the Hey Crafty Girl collection from Simple Stories. This collection is perfect for all craft lovers. It is bright and cheerful and is full of crafty images and phrases. 

I have a scrapbook layout today on the Scrap Paper Scissors blog featuring four photos taken last summer of Lara painting in the garden.

I took a sheet of the Create Beauty paper and trimmed a tiny bit off of each edge before matting this onto a sheet of black Bazzill cardstock.

I wanted to add some paint to the background but I'm always nervous of painting directly onto the background, especially when I only have one sheet of the paper. I decided to paint some stripes of acrylic paint onto a piece of white cardstock and when dry cut the stripes out and stuck these onto the background.

I then took my four photos, matted them onto black cardstock and arranged them on the layout, staggering them from top to bottom.

I cut out some of  the 2x2 elements and used these to embelish the layout. Stickers from the Combo Sticker sheet were also added. The squares were outlined with a black gel pen to add some definition.

Some beautiful Prima flowers were placed on the layout on top of a couple of the printed flowers and green enamel dots were dotted around.

 I die cut the title from black cardstock and nestled this beside the photos.

Journalling strips were printed on cream cardstock on the computer and the words were outlined with a black gel pen before it was stuck to the bottom of the page.