My Creative Scrapbook Layout: Dance Forever & Disney

Happy Sunday,  I hope you are enjoying the last bit of your weekend!  We got our first official snow of the winter and have been thoroughly enjoying it!  We spent the morning watching it fall out our windows, then bundled up and played in it after lunch.  Now we're inside again warming up with cocoa.  Pretty perfect Sunday, if you ask me!  It would be completely perfect if I could squeeze in a little scrapbooking time, so that is next on the agenda!

But before I do that, I thought I'd share with you, the last of the two pages I put together with My Creative Scrapbook's January Main kit.

One single, sweet diecut was the inspiration for this page.  See the round 'dance forever' diecut in the bottom right corner of my page?  Right when I saw it, it reminded me that I was still waiting on the perfect product to scrap my little girl's dance pictures.

The 3x4" Happy Place collection brag cards and diecut pieces were my favorite parts of the kit.  In fact, the brag cards made for a quick and easy grid style layout to my page.  They were the perfect surface to add bits of my journaling, extra embellishment and layers.

The last page I created from the kit, makes a bold statement using the diecut letters as both my title and background.

 
I just couldn't resist those letters!  The font and the colors are just perfection and both paired nicely with some of my favorite family Disney memories.  While this page has no real title - the page theme is clear, by the words used to 'mat' my photos.

Again, I snuck in more diecuts and button embellishments to accent my page.

 Thanks for joining me today!  I hope the rest of your weekend is cozy and crafty!

 

My Creative Scrapbook Layout: A Perfect Snap

As promised, I'm back today with one of the layouts I created for my guest stint over at My Creative Scrapbook. 

If you have children or at the very least, have tried to take a picture with 2 or more, you know what a challenge it can be.  It's darn near impossible to get everyone smiling, happy and looking at the camera at the same time, am I right?!  That 'perfect snap' is my one and only wish each Mother's Day, and as you can see, it's often hard to come by.  But the outtakes are part of the memory, so I thought they would be fun to include on this page.

 

 

The Fancy Pants 3x4 Brag card made for the perfect title for my page, even if it hints at a bit of sarcasm!  The quotations reinforce the tongue and cheek nature of my title, in addition to the added text I included by running the 3x4 card through my printer.

This paper collection includes so many great diecuts that I tried my best to squeeze in as many as I could.  Layering the diecuts among the 3x4 cards, photos and themselves ties all of the elements of the page together and gives them each a home.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'll be back again tomorrow with another kit page to share!

 

MCS Guest Designer: Home Decor Project

If you follow me over on Instagram, you may have seen that I've been sharing sneak peeks of a project I had been working on during the month of December.  Well, today I'm finally able to share what that project is -- I've been selected as the guest designer for My Creative Scrapbook kit club for the months of January - March!

I got to work with their Main Kit, the contents of which were revealed on their blog and social media accounts today...

As you can see it's full of the Fancy Pants Happy Place collection, which is just as beautiful and fun to work with, as it appears!

I made four separate projects with this kit that I'll be sharing in the coming days.  The first, and maybe my most favorite of the projects is this altered home décor piece.  I used a Jillibean Soup 'Mix the Media' receipt holder from my stash, along with some recent family photos and the kit contents to create this piece.

 

Here are some close ups...

 

 

Stay tuned to the My Creative Scrapbook blog for a tutorial I put together showing how to make this fun heart shaped button embellishment.

 

 

I'll be back again tomorrow to share one of the three additional layouts I made with this kit. I hope you'll join me!

 

This Is 2015: A Just Nick DT page

Hello blog friends!  All this week on the Just Nick blog, we're focusing on remembering and reflecting.  In doing so, I have been flipping through the photos on my phone from the past year.   I uncovered so many gems that had not yet been printed, soI decided to make a page featuring some of the highlights of our year. This page will serve as the title page for my 2015 family album. 





Supplis used: Simple Stories - patterned paper, bradz, stickers, diecuts; Fancy Pants - buttons; Tim Holtz - mini attacher; Bazzill - cardstock;  Other: foam adhesive, machine stitching



I used three different files from the Just Nick store to create and customize my design. 

The 'This Is' portion of my title was taken from the Arrow Set 1 cut file. The original arrow design used in this file was much thicker and shorter.  However, I wanted to use a longer, thinner title that would stretch the width of my page and not get lost in my grid of photos.  To create that effect, I borrowed one of the longer, skinnier arrows from the All Boy file and sized it to my desired length.

I completed my custom title by including the year.  Lucky for me the Right Now Cards design included a bold, chunky '2015' that I was able to snag and incorporate into my design.

I hope this page reminds you that you can make your cut files work for you!  Adjust their sizes, widths and even combine files for a completely fun and custom look!

I'll be back soon with more to share.  In the meantime, happy crafting!

I always want to remember: A Just Nick DT Page

Good Friday morning, blog friends!  I've got a house full of sick kiddos to take care of, but I wanted to pop on here quickly to share a page that went live on the Just Nick blog today. 

All week long the designers have been sharing pages focused on the theme of 'Remember'.  That theme had me all mushy gushy and walking down memory lane through photos of my kids from years back.  It was a fun excuse to scrapbook these treasured photos I ran across and memories of them being little, that I never want to forget!

Supplies used: Just Nick - Word Tabs and Positives 3 Background cut files; Pink Paislee patterned paper and glitter stickers; Chickaniddy Crafts patternend paper; DCWV patterned paper (woodgrain); Heidi Swap chipboard frames; American Crafts thickers; Simple Stories sticker labels; Crate Paper chipboard frame; Studio Calico sequins; Kerri Bradford Studios stamped sentiment; Other: machine stitiching, computer font, foam adhesive, vellum.

I went for the obvious choice for my title.  Lucky for me, Nicole has all sorts of options for the word 'remember' in the cut file store.  I used the Word Tabs file.  I used the tabbed portion at the bottom to add my subtitle to the page.

I couldn't resist adding those sweet glittery bow stickers to my title.  They reminded me of a string you might tie to your finger to remember something.  Pretty perfect, huh?!

I snuck in some more Just Nick cut files, among the white space on my page.  The Positive Background 3 cut file was a subtle way to fill in those empty spaces and pull in some more plus signs, that appear in other places throughout the page.

Thanks so much for visiting me today!  I hope you sneak in some crafty time this weekend - that's definitely on my to do list!

Adventures Ahead: A DCWV DT Page

The warm temperatures and sunshine are long gone, and that of course, has me wishing I could have the lazy days of summer back!  Since that's not possible, I've been busy reminiscing through our summer photos.  In doing so, I ran across these pictures of my little girl riding her bike.  I instantly thought of DCWV's Hello Darlin' stack and knew they would be a perfect match - both in color and in theme!



Supplies used: DCWV Hello Darlin' stack; American Crafts cork heart stickers and twine; Kerri Bradford Studio stamps and cut files; My Mind's Eye flair; Heidi Swapp glitter stickers; Crate Paper gold clip; Becky Higgins Project Life date stamp; Studio Calico wood veneer; Other: Stampin Up scallop border punch, Veteran Typewriter font, Hero Arts ink pad.

I built my entire page around the subtle horizontal pink and white stripe paper.  The text, near the top of this particular page, made for an obvious and easy page title.

I knew I'd need a pop of bright pink on the page and this pattern from the stack, did just the trick.  I cut it down to 3X4" and embellished it with a foam mounted word diecut and a gold embossed stamped sentiment, both designs from Kerri Bradford.

 

The kelly green and gold polka dotted pattern is my favorite from the whole stack.  I couldn't leave the page alone, without sneaking a bit of this pattern on there somewhere.  Again, I trimmed the patterned paper piece to 3X4" and embellished it with a clip and some flair.  Additional layers to the left, create some added interest and depth.

 

There was no way I could finish this page without using the remainder of the pink and white striped pattern, which includes a large gold foiled bicycle.  Since I had already cut down that paper, however, I had to come up with an interesting way to include the piece back onto my page.  I trimmed the front half of the bicycle off, and aligned the remaining piece up just below my journaling.  Not only does the bicycle reinforce the theme, but it also creates movement through the page, and well, it's just so darn cute!

 

First Day Photos: A Just Nick DT Page

Good morning and happy Friday!  All week long on the Just Nick blog the design team has been sharing projects inspired by everything 'Back to School'.  Nicole's awesome cut files and the push to create something to fit the school theme, prompted me to pull out these photos from Emme's very first day of preschool, last year.



Supplies used: DCWV - cardstock; Simple Stories - patterned paper, die cuts, bradz, stickers; October Afternoon - flair, diecuts, patterened paper; Pebbles - patternend paper; Tim Holtz - mini attacher and staples; Other: foam adhesive, glue dots, Veteran Typewriter font.

I had a lot of pictures to include, so I knew I wouldn't have much leftover room for a large background file or intricate, detailed design.  Lucky for me, Nicole has files are versatile to fit just about any theme or projects parameters.  Admittedly, her word files are some of my favorites and what I naturally defaulted to for this page.  I used the word 'photos' from the Hashtags 1 file, to fill in the white space on my focal point photo, and complete my title.

 

 

I love that the font used for all of the text in this cut file, leaves out the spaces for the insides of the letters.  I used that as an opportunity to add some embellishment to the title, by pulling some coordinating heart diecuts and stapling into the center of each 'O'.

 

 

Adding the little bits and details at the completion of the page, is one of my favorite parts of the scrapbooking process.  I combined stickers from both Simple Stories and October afternoon to adorn my journaling card and finished off the cluster of elements with the cutest little piece of flair.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you'll check out the rest of the DT School project on the Just Nick blog this week!

 

YAY!...School starts today: A Just Nick DT Page

In my part of the world right now, everywhere you go is filled with signs of back to school.  All of the store shelves are stocked with supplies, alarms are set for earlier mornings and the kid's are all heading off with shiny new clothes and backpacks, to the start of new school year adventures. 

Today I'm sharing this page on the Just Nick blog, that is completely inspired by my current surroundings.  In fact, it proved to be just the push I needed to work on some first day of school pictures from the 2014-15 school year.



Supplies used: Doodlebug Designs - patterned paper, sequins, sprinkle shapes; DCWV - patterned paper (ledger); Basic Grey - patterned paper, letter stickers; Tim Holtz - mini paper clip; Bazzill - cardstock; Stampin Up - foam adhesive; Other - machine stitching, computer font.

Can you spot which Just Nick cut files I used on my back to school page?  I combined the Word Bubbles and Card Sentiments 1 files  to create my title.  Combining the two files was easy.  I sized the word bubble to fit within the spot I wanted it to sit, on my page and then layered the "YAY!" portion of the card sentiments file overtop of it. 

To give the word a little more 'pop', I backed the cut file with some red cardstock and used tiny letter stickers to complete my subtitle.

I couldn't stop myself at using only one word bubble - there are, in fact, several designs and styles included within the file.  Some sized down versions of the round bubble made the perfect home for a grouping of embellishments and even for some added text.

I even enlarged one of the rectangular bubbles to just over 6" long - making it an ideal spot for my journaling.

 

Did you know that every month, Just Nick releases a set of cut files that you can pick up for FREE?!  You're in luck, because the Word Bubbles file I've used above is the free file this month!  Hop on over to the Just Nick blog to see how you can add this digital die cut to your library for FREE.  And make it quick, because it's only available at no charge until August 31st.

 

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.

 

Swim Everyday: A SCT Published Page

Happy Friday!  It's looking like a mostly gloomy and rainy weekend here, but that won't stop me from sharing a bright and summery page today.  I was fortunate to have this page published in the Reader's Gallery of the summer issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today magazine. 

 

Supplies used: Pink Paislee - patterned paper; Die Cuts With a View - Cardstock; MAMBI - transparent arrow diecut; Kerri Bradford - stamps; Project Life - date stamp; Hero Arts - ink; Stampendous - embossing powder; Heidi Swapp - acrylic letters; Simple Stories- label sticker; Doodlebug Designs - sequins, enamel dots; Studio Calico - flair; Other: crochet thread, silhouette, foam adhesive, machine stitching, computer journaling.

 

The idea for this page, originated from this sunburst design you see on page one of the two page spread.  I loved all the gorgeous, summery prints in the Pink Paislee Hello Sunshine patterned paper pack.  The sunburst allowed me to include several designs on the page.  I trimmed various lengths and widths of the papers and arranged them to mimic sun rays.  Placing my photos at the rays intersection point, draws attention to them and keeps the pictures the focus of the page. 

I had several more photos from our lazy summer pool days, that couldn't be left out.  A collage of images was the obvious solution.  I used larger pieces of the same patterns and papers from the first page to tie the two together.  Layering the papers created a fun and organized backdrop for my photo heavy page.

I scattered bits of sequins, flair and enamel dots throughout the two page design.

The ledger style paper was the perfect neutral canvas for my lengthy journaling.  I turned my journaling on the vertical, to squeeze it into the design and not take any space away from my photo collage.

 

The weather themed tags were made from the chalkboard print paper in the Hello Sunshine paper pack, and Kerri Bradford's amazing stamps!  I just love how they fit in with the theme of the page, and they couldn't be cuter stamped and embossed in white!

 

The title is made up of a variety of mediums - transparent and diecut letters and a script silhouette cut. 

 

Want a closer look at this page and lots of other inspiring artwork?  You can download your own FREE copy of the summer SC&T issue right here or better yet, subscribe and receive your very own paper copy in the mail every quarter!  It is such a beautiful and well put together magazine and this issue in particular is full of inspiring projects and ideas.  I can assure you, you won't be disappointed!

4 July: A Scrapbook Page

Happy Saturday, crafty friends!  I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  Our weekend is jam packed with - baseball games, birthday parties, baseball practices, friends over to play, church, more baseball practices, and dinner with family.  Whew!  Fortunately, I have a couple of hours in between activities, so I thought I'd pop on here and share a page I finished up the other night.

I've been eyeing the Simple Stories Life Documented collection for some time.  And lucky for me, I finally got my hands on some from the Paper Issues store.  I didn't have any pictures in particular, in mind for scrapping with it, so I was pleased to discover just how well it would work with photos I had from the Fourth of July.



Supplies used: Simple Stories - patterned paper, diecut piece; Pink Paislee - patterned paper (ledger); Kerri Bradford - Line by Line & Travelogue stamps, cut file (July); DCWV - cardstock; Studio Calico - wood veneer stars; Stampin Up - ink; Other: foam adhesive, machine stitching, computer font.

Using that navy and white stripe as my background piece was a no brainer!  In addition, the grey polka dot pattern helps to tie in more colors from the photos, while the neutral wood grain and lined papers create a resting place for the eye and help to balance out the design.

The title was created with a free Kerri Bradford cut file and a diecut from the Life Documented bits & pieces pack.  The red bow was a last minute addition and I love the pop of color it gives to the page and the attention it draws to the title.

 

 

What first drew me to this collection were all the bits and labels included in the diecut pack.  I knew I would have lots of fun stamping and embellishing all those little labels to customize my page.  I used some brand new stamps from Kerri Bradford to dress up the labels and a couple of Stampin' Up inks to customize them to my page even further!

 

The labels look so fun all layered and stitched together.  Stacking and layering them helps create movement throughout the page and besides that, they're just plain FUN!

 

Thanks for visiting me today!  I hope you're enjoying your weekend and spending some time getting crafty!