Mintay Papers - Rust & Rose - Remember

Today, I'm thrilled to share my second scrapbook layout featuring the beautiful Rust & Rose collection by Mintay Papers.

What instantly drew me to this collection were its stunning colours. The pretty pinks and reds in the Rust & Rose papers were perfect for scrapbooking a favourite photo of my daughter, captured one autumn.

I began my layout with a 12x12 sheet of smooth white cardstock. In the centre I created an inky texture using the smooshing technique with watered-down Pumice Stone Distress Ink.



I skipped applying gesso first which let the cardstock absorb the ink directly. This resulted in a cool variation in colour. Even though much of this background gets covered up by papers, it still peeks out in places, providing a nice contrast between the white cardstock and the patterned papers.

With the inky base dry, I cut strips from Paper #4, distressed and inked their edges, and layered them horizontally over the centre. In my stash I found some very old copper metallic mini brads and used them to secure the ends of the strips, giving the layout a rustic touch.



I also found some lace and added this to the paper strips.



A 3x4 photo was matted with a very narrow white border and added to the layout.

Die cuts from the Die Cut Pack were used to create a large cluster across the bottom left corner of the photo. 3D foam was used to raise some of the pieces to add some dimension.



The title was added using small foam alphabet stickers. Unfortunately I had run out of the letter 'e' so had to Frankenstein some of the other letters to make my own e's. Sometime a scrapbooker has to get creative with their supplies!

Finally I splatted some pink acrylic paint over the layout.

Mintay Papers - Rust & Rose - Autumn

I'm so excited to share a project today featuring the brand-new autumn collection from Mintay Papers: Rust and Rose. What makes Rust and Rose stand out is the unique colour combination which is not the typical autumn colour palette. As well as deep reds, warm browns, and orange it also includes soft pinks and burgundies. You get the perfect autumn feel with images of cute creatures, beautiful leaves and florals.

For the base, I chose the b side of the 12 x 12 elements paper. I cut down the sheet slightly and layered it onto 12 x 12 sheet of white cardstock, which left a narrow border round the edge.



Using my Silhouette, I die cut a circular floral frame. I originally wasn't sure what colour I wanted it to be, so I cut it from plain white cardstock. Later, when I settled on pink to match the collection, I simply coloured the frame with a pink alcohol marker.

I then mounted the finished pink frame onto the centre of my layout. I took the inner piece that the machine cut out and glued it back into the middle, leaving it white.



I also die cut a large maple leaf, which I coloured the same pink, backed with more of the patterned paper and layered inside the frame. To give the die-cut a little extra sparkle and dimension, I added some pink sequins.



My photo was placed on top of the leaf, positioned over the right edge of the frame.



I delved into the pack of paper die cuts and created a scene at the bottom of the page using florals, pumpkins, leaves and a cute cat. I used 3D foam underneath several of the die cuts to raise them up a little.



In the top right corner I added a title cut from navy blue cardstock. This echoes the navy colour in the photo.

Finally I scattered some navy blue enamel dots along the bottom of the page.

Carta Bella It's Autumn - Autumn Leaves

Here is one last layout using Carta Bella's It's Autumn collection.

For the base, I chose white cardstock. I cut down the 12x12 white sheet slightly and layered it onto a dark brown sheet, which left a narrow border round the edge.

I used a hexagon die (from my stash) to cut out hexagons from the patterned papers. I then arranged them to cascade across the page, moving from the top right to the bottom left. After mixing the colours up, I stuck them to the layout. Before adding any further embellishments, I splattered some brown acrylic paint over and around the hexagons.



Three photos were matted with some light brown cardstock and arranged horizontally across the layout.



Title words were cut from dark brown cardstock on the Silhouette and added to the layout.



Words stickers from the Elements Sticker Sheet were used to embellish the layout.





I added some journalling, printed on the computer, to the bottom of the layout. I used a Vintage Photo Distress Oxide Ink Pad to distress the edges slightly so that the word strips stand out against the background.



The layout was completed with a scattering of gold and copper sequins.

Carta Bella It's Autumn - #Muglife

Today I have a new scrapbook layout to share, featuring the beautiful It's Autumn collection by Carta Bella. This collection is a must-have for autumn-themed layouts. Since my design uses lots of paper layers, I made sure to "gut" as many of those layers as possible to save paper and be more economical with my supplies.

My layout began with orange cardstock. I first gutted the centre of the Fall Flowers paper (the inner piece was saved to use later). I then trimmed the orange cardstock and mounted it onto the B-side of the remaining Fall Flowers piece, leaving a narrow border around the entire background.

I placed a10" square of the leftover Fall Flowers paper (this too was gutted) in the centre of the layout and then layered a slightly smaller piece of the 3x4 Journaling Card paper (B-side) on top, creating a narrow border between those layers as well.




I layered various patterned papers on the layout, then popped up my two photos with 3D foam for dimension.



Using a paper scrap, I die-cut the letters and added the title just to the left of my photos.

The Element Stickers, Ephemera Icons pack, and some fussy-cut images from the patterned papers gave me tons of embellishing options. I started by fussy cutting sunflowers and placed them on the corners of the photos. I used 3D foam on the back of the flowers so they would sit at the same height as the pictures



Word strip stickers from the sticker sheet were dotted around the layout.

Flags and a coffee cup die-cut (from the Ephemera Icons pack) were added in a 

small layered cluster above the title.

I printed my journaling strips onto white cardstock and used them to fill the space beneath the title.

To complete the page, I scattered a few yellow enamel dots here and there.

Carta Bella It's Autumn - Autumn Colours

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. 

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.

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

Today I have 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.

American Crafts Vicki Boutins Cut & Paste - Follow Your Dreams

I have another layout using the vibrant Cut & Paste collection by Vicki Boutin for American Crafts. The bright colours in this collection are so versatile and are perfect for any scrapbooking project.



I began the layout with a 12x12 sheet of black cardstock. On top of this, I layered pieces of white and teal cardstock, leaving a thin border around each.



Next, I used black thread to machine-stitch a zigzag line where the white and teal cardstock met. This detail adds texture and interest to the page.



Then, I used a mini brayer and teal acrylic paint to add three short horizontal stripes to the layout. I intentionally kept the application a bit messy to create a more textured, relaxed look.



Using paper #7 from the collection, I fussy cut some scallop border strips. I used these to create "shelves" beneath each of the painted stripes.



I matted three photos with pink cardstock and placed one on each shelf. To embellish each shelf, I used a combination of die cuts from the Ephemera Icons pack and fussy-cut flowers from paper #2. I added 3D foam underneath some of the elements to raise them slightly.



Using my Silhouette machine, I die-cut the title words from black cardstock and placed a word next to each of the three photos.

Finally I added a scattering of acrylic dots and sequins to the layout.

American Crafts Vicki Boutins Cut & Paste - Beautiful

I've been spending some time recently creating with Cut & Paste, Vicki Boutin's final collection for American Crafts. As expected from Vicki's signature style, this collection is full of vibrant colors. and what I particularly like is how many of the patterns and elements are reminiscent of decoupaged or layered paper-pieced images.

Today, I'm sharing a layout I created using one of my absolute favorite papers from the collection -Paper #3. This paper has a sunburst / pie shape design on it and I challenged myself to use it in an original way. This layout features a technique I have used before, but with a twist.,

I began by carefully fussy cutting the pie shape from the paper. Then, with a circle cutter, I created concentric "rings" by cutting them from the center. I arranged the rings on a sheet of graph paper from my stash. The two larger rings were nestled in the centre of the layout, while the two smaller ones were placed into the bottom right corner. To add interest, I rotated each ring to mix up the patterns.

I machine-stitched a zig-zag around the circles with black thread. This added texture and made the colors pop.

My photo, matted on black cardstock, was attached on the right of the layout. For embellishment, I layered on flowers and leaves from the Ephemera Icons Pack, giving them dimension with 3D foam underneath.

I found some older Vicki Boutin Thickers in my stash with words that were perfect for this layout, so I added them too.



The colours of some of the Thickers matched the layout perfectly.



I incorporated a title from Cocoa Vanilla Studio near the bottom of the layout, though a phrase sticker or alphabet stickers would have also worked well.



Journalling strips were printed on the computer and tucked beneath the title.



Finally I trimmed down the layout slightly, mounted it on a sheet of black cardstock leaving a narrow border and added a scattering of black sequins and paper punched stars.