I love your face: My Creative Scrapbook layout

It's my second month guest designing for My Creative Scrapbook and I am truly having so much fun with these kits!  The February Main kit is filled with items from the We R Memory Keepers Crush collection and wood veneers from Crate Paper's Hello Love.  As you might assume, there was certainly a love/valentine theme throughout the kit, but even so, I found it to be quite versatile and actually didn't even scrap a stitch of Valentines!

This page documents a recent favorite photo of my daughter and LOTS of journaling.  I wanted to record all of the little bits and pieces that make her who she is at four years old.

That floral watercolor paper was the inspiration and starting point for my page.  I knew it would pair nicely and be the perfect contrast to the denim and woodgrain in my photo. 

I loved the patterning and gradient of color on the sticker/chevron arrows.  Not only do they add a fun accent to the left column of the page, but they direct your eye to the important stuff - the story!

I loved putting together this cluster of elements on the right side of my photo.  Again, I started with the watercolor flower diecut, knowing it  would be complimentary to my photo and background.  From that point I played around with different sticker, diecut and dimensional embellishments until I landed on a pretty cluster of elements that wasn't too overdone.  The wood veneer arrow, again, directs your eye to focus of the page and the sweet 'I love your face' text sticker acts as a subtle page title.

Thanks for joining me today!  I'll be back again tomorrow with another page created from the My Creative Scrapbook February Main kit.

 

Ten: A Just Nick Layout

Good Monday morning!  I'm excited to get this week started because I've got a week's worth of projects to share with you! So, make sure you stop back by each weekday to see what's new.

 

Over the weekend I shared a project for the Just Nick Studio / Clique Kits blog hop.  If you missed that post and page, and the details of how to enter the giveaway, you can find it here.  I had so much fun pairing the kit contents and exclusive cut files that I couldn't stop creating and combining the two!  So, I'm sharing another page that resulted from this team up on the Just Nick blog and here, today.

 

 

I used the bannered heart design, from the exclusive set of cut files, to cover the majority of the background.  I chose to forgo the banner style ends, and instead cut them off for a clean and straight edge.  The resulting cuts were sized at approximately 7.75"x1.5".  I cut five of them, from white cardstock, to fill my background.  Layering them atop of one another and under my picture creates cohesion throughout the design.

The open hearts were a great place to introduce lots of color and pattern from the kit papers into my design.  I even used the included sequin mix to back some of my hearts and add a little extra detail and shimmer. 

Some foam mounted stickers, stictching and a Thicker title were the finishing touches atop my background design.

 

 

The combination of the Hot Mess kit and Just Nick designs is a pretty perfect pairing, wouldn't you agree?  The are both so full of product, design and versatility, that I've got one more page combining the two that I will share with you later in the month.

 

I hope to see you back here tomorrow as I start to share the projects I've made with My Creative Scrapbook's February Main kit!

Just Nick/Clique Kits blog hop

Happy Saturday!  Today I'm participating in a fun blog hop between Just Nick Studios and Clique Kits kit club.  If you are following along the hop, you should have landed here from Carolina Schulz's blog.   A $25.00 gift certificate to the clique kits shop will be awarded to one person who comments along the hop.  So, make sure to keep hopping and leave comments to be entered to win!

 

If it's your first time joining me on my blog - welcome, I'm so happy to have you here!  I had so much fun combining the Clique kits Hot Mess kit and exclusive Just Nick files and I'm excited to share the results with you...

 

 

 

The lined heart filled square file was my favorite, of the exclusive designs.  I knew at first glance that it would make the perfect 'memo board' background for my page. The original design was square, but by using the erase and weld functions in the silhouette software, I was able to join two squares atop of one another resulting in a taller design and more surface to my 'memo board'.

 

All of the Maggie Holmes Shine collection ephemera and stickers, included in the Clique Kit were a great companion to this idea and design.  They allowed me to create a pretty collage of elements that I clipped to my background and used to accent my pictures.

 

The wood veneer heart outline, just so happened to fit perfectly atop of one of the diecut hearts, and the various heart stickers included in the kit were a fun and complementary accent.

 

Tags are a natural element on any memo board, and there were certainly many to choose from in this kit.  I also loved that I could clip a couple of the transparent diecut tabs onto the horizontal lines of my diecut background.

 

 

The combination of this kit and the coordinating cut files are a perfect match, wouldn't you agree?  In fact, I've had so much fun with this pairing that I've made two more pages that I'll be sharing on my blog in the coming weeks.  I hope you'll stop back by to see them!

 

Thanks so much for joining me and letting me share my project with you today! Don't forget that A $25.00 gift certificate to the clique kits shop will be awarded to one person who comments along the way.

 

Your next stop on the hop is Aliza Deutsch, so click on over to see what wonderful things she has in store!

 



Captured...Summer Fun: A Just Nick DT Page

My kid's have officially completed their first week of school, as of yesterday afternoon. That means we are on to new routines and schedules, and summer days are quickly dwindling.  That also means, however, that I have lots of summer memories to scrapbook and reflect on.  This page celebrates one of our favorite family summer traditions: blueberry picking.



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Supplies used: Crate Paper - patterned paper, diecuts, foam glitter words; Simple Stories - patterned paper; Pebbles - clothers pin; Bazzill Basics - vellum; Other - machine stitching, foam adhesive, seam binding ribbon; computer font - Veteran Typewriter

I am really loving the Poolside collection from Crate Paper.  It has so many versatile elements that can be used to scrap any type of summer memories - not just those associated with being in and by the water.  I layered several of the diecut pieces from this collection, for this pretty cluster to the right of my journaling and photo.  I love the pops of color and texture all of the layers add.

 

I used one of my favorite background Just Nick cut files - Circle 1 Background.  I opted to use the background design a bit untraditionally.  Rather than using it to fill the background of my page completely, I sized it down to around 8"x5".  At this size, the circle background acts more as a photo mat, making a home for both my photo and journaling block and a bit of extra embellishing.

When I first laid the circle background directly onto my striped patterned paper, it was hardly visible and completely overshadowed by the paper's color and design.  To make the cut file stand out and become more of a focal point, I backed it with an oversized matting of vellum and used foam adhesive to attach the diecut piece to my page.  Doing so, creates an extra layer of dimension and interest, and keeps the cool circle design from blending into the striped paper background.

 

Well, now I'm of to squeeze in a few more summer memories with my family, now that the weekend is here.  Happy Saturday and happy crafting!!!

 

Pool: A Just Nick DT Page

It's been a busy summer here at the Rench household.  Unfortunately, that has kept my sharing here on the blog to a minimum, but that also means that I have some catching up to do and lots of projects to share with you in the coming days.

Today I'm excited to share a page I had featured on the Just Nick blog, for summer week.

Summer for me and my kiddos means countless hours at the local community pool, so it was an obvious choice for me to scrap some of those memories.  I've been eyeing the Marquee Alpha
for awhile.  It was just the pop I needed to draw some serious attention to my title, amongst a page with lots of photos and lots of journaling. 



Supplies used: Just Nick "Marquee Alpha' cut file; Crate Paper - patterned paper, diecuts, puffy stickers, chipboard frames; American Crafts - twine; Scrapbook Adhesives - foam adhesive; Tombow - adhesive; Other - computer font (Veteran Typewriter), machine stitching.

Isn't the detail in this font amazing?  Even when it's sized down to just an inch and a quarter high, as I've done for my page title, it still makes a strong impact on the page.

To add even more dimension to these fun title letters I cut one set of each letter from my pattern paper and three additional sets of the title letters from kraft cardstock.  Adhering each of the three kraft layers on top of one another and finishing off each letter with the patterned paper version creates lots of dimension.  In fact, the letters almost feel and look as if they are chipboard, which in this case, coordinated perfectly with the other chipboard elements on the page.

Without a doubt, one of my favorite pieces of every Crate Paper collection are the chipboard frames.  I used several in my collage of photos to make some of my favorite pictures stand out.  This wood grain chipboard frame, fit perfectly around the picture of my girl enjoying her first root beer float.  Accenting it with the darling little popsicle diecut, was a no brainer!

This particular frame makes a big impact when attached to the page with foam adhesive.  It highlights a fun photo of my boy and his buddy and makes it stand out from the collage of pictures and diecuts surrounding it.

 

That's it from me today!  I'll be back often this week with lots more to share.

 

Story: A Scrapbook Page

Happy Sunday friends! It's not often that I get a chance to sneak in some scrap time during a weekend day.  We are often so busy with kid activities and/or enjoying family time - today was an exception, though!  The boys were all off at baseball practice for a couple of hours this afternoon and the 'star' of the following page was taking a nap.  So, I brewed myself a cup of coffee and bolted to my craft space to finish up a page I started working on last night.



Supplies used: Crate Paper/Maggie Holmes - 'Confetti' patterned paper, ephemera die cut pieces, "Confetti' hardware; DCWV - Adhesive Fabric paper and cardstock;  Jillibean Soup - patterned paper; Simple Stories - patterned paper; Kerri Bradford Studio - 'Line by Line' stamps; Hero Arts - black dye ink; Becky Higgins - date stamp; Other: string, machine stitching, glue dots, computer font.

Some of the pieces/patterns from this project might look a bit familiar! A few days back I shared this page featuring lots of new Crate Paper and Maggie Holmes goodies that I scored from the Paper Issues shop.  I had so much fun creating with them that I had to dive back in to many of those same supplies for another page. 

I love the collage and flea market style to many of the Maggie Holmes and Crate collections!  They lend themselves to lots of mixing, matching and layering.  Combining that shabby style with bits of gold and sparkle is the perfect formula for an ultra feminine page.  My sweet girl dressed in her tutu and ready for her first dance class - couldn't get much more girly or feminine!

Can you tell I had fun with layers and stitching?!  I just couldn't stop adding little bits and pieces.

The pictures don't translate well, but the page background is full of gorgeous, subtle texture.  I used a piece of DCWV adhesive fabric layered over top of white cardstock.  I used my sewing machine to stitch horizontal lines every 2", or so, down the page. The stitching adds some additional texture and combined with the fabric, really supports the shabby, flea market vibe.

Thanks for joining me today!  Hope you're squeezing in some time this weekend to do something that makes you happy, too!

One day at a time: A Scrapbook Page

I'm not always the best about including my personal story in our family scrapbooks.  But, I've had a pretty productive year committing myself to a healthier lifestyle, and I knew I needed to document that story and remind myself how far I've come!  A challenge from the Paper Issues online weekend crop, a pile of pretty new scrap supplies and a decent selfie (after getting my hair done) made the perfect recipe for putting together this page.




Supplies used: Crate Paper - patterned paper, diecuts; American Crafts - thickers; Heidi Swapp - chipboard frames and gold label sticker; Simple Stories - chipboard frames; Paper Smooches - roses die; DCWV - gold glitter paper; Basic Grey - wood veneer; Studio Calico - wood veneer; Queen & Co - mini clothespin; Stampin' Up - butterfly punch. Other: vintage buttons, kraft shipping tag, seam binding ribbon, date stamp, machine stitching.

As you can see, I had lots of fun layering all kinds of bits and pieces on my page. But the primary concept of the design came from the desire to include as many of these Heidi Swapp and Simple Stories chipboard frames as I possibly could.  Filling one of the frames with my journaling was a give in!

How about this gold, glittered frame?  I LOVE it!  I even went back and purchased a second package of these frames just to get another one!  It makes a great focal point of the page and a perfect home for my page title.  Add in a little stamping, a pretty punch, some stitching, and wood veneer and it's complete!

Many of the frames are filled with bits and pieces cut from a sheet of the Crate Paper Confetti collection.  I loved this little camera image and knew it needed a special spot on the page.

 

How gorgeous is that rose diecut?  It's a recent purchase from Paper Smooches and I just love how it looks cut out of this DCWV gold glitter cardstock.  Again, it's the perfect accent to bring about a little more sparkle to this page.

 

Are you good about scrapping yourself?  If not, I hope this motivates you to take the challenge and scrap some of your personal story! 

 

Thanks for joining me today!