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!

 

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!

 

#Funtimes: A Just Nick DT Page

Happy Sunday!  Did you happen to catch a peek of the 'Going in Circles' cut file that was featured on the Just Nick blog all week long? Isn't it fun?!  Not only is this new design awesome, but it's also the FREE download for October.  Yep, you read that right it's FREE until October 31st at midnight. Just add the Going In Circles Background to your cart and use the code: CIRCLESFREE at checkout and it's all yours!

 

I couldn't wait to use this design, accompanied by a favorite photo of my daughter from over the summer.  One quick look at the page and you can easily see why this design coordinated so perfectly with the snap of my little girl in a polka dotted inner tube - circles, circles and more circles!



Supplies used: Just Nick Going in Circles background and Hashtags 1 cut files; Pink Paislee patterned paper and diecuts; Simple Stories chipboard pieces and diecuts; October Afternoon buttons; We R Memory Keepers sequins; Kerri Bradford stamps; Stampin Up ink; Bazzill Cardstock; Other: foam adhesive, Silhouette, vellum.

I sized the file down, and cut it out of the same white cardstock that I used for the base of my page. Those open circles were just begging to be filled with snippets of fun and colorful papers, don't you think?!  A few strategically placed sequins and embellishments find a nice home among the circles, too!

If you haven't already noticed, I am constantly reaching for my stash of Kerri Bradford studio stamps.  In my opinion, you can never have enough text throughout a page.  A bright teal ink combined with these versatile sentiments, really jazz up those arrow diecuts.

 

I knew I'd need a bold font for my title, to prevent it from being overshadowed by the circle design on the top half of my page.  I turned to the Hashtags 1 cut file, knowing that the strong type and fun sentiments would be a great match.  I selected '#funtimes' - cutting it once from the same textured white cardstock and again from a subtle blue grid patterned paper. Using the blue diecut title as a shadow, creates interest and separation from the white background, while still maintaining cohesion. 

 

 

Check out the all the posts on the Just Nick blog this past week, to see how the design team used this freebie file, and grab your own.  But hurry because the file is only free until October 31st at midnight!

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!

 

U...Right Now: A Just Nick DT page

Happy Monday! I announced in my post yesterday that I'm part of the the inaugural Just Nick design team.  Today is my first official post on the Just Nick blog, where I'm sharing this page starring my handsome six year old.  Isn't he cute, faux hawk and all?!



Supplies used: Just Nick cut files - Right Now, All Boy; Jillibean Soup -patterned paper, diecuts, stickers, enamel stars; Crate Paper - transparent letter; American Crafts - thicker, twine; October Afternoon - sticker labels, buttons, flair; Zig - Wink of Stella brush pen; Teresa Collins - enamel dots; Other - machine stitching, cardstock, foam adhesive, Veteran Typewriter font, date stamp, black ink pad.

I love adding pages to my kid's scrapbooks that highlight their interests, hobbies and personality traits for each year of their life.  The Right Now cut file, reminded me that I hadn't yet put together a page for my son's sixth year, since it was the perfect title for this type of 'highlight' page.

I love the mix of type in this cut file - it includes both a clean type and funky script.  The original design also includes a circle around the entirety of the design.  However, since I knew I'd be using a lot of linear elements on my page, I opted to remove the circle and simply cut the words.

Once sized, I cut the title two times - once out of cream cardstock and a second time from gray cardstock.  I layered the two cuts together, slightly offsetting the top piece, to create some added shadow and dimension.

 

The majority of my page is pretty busy and colorful, so I opted for a kraft background to ground the whole design.  With the cardstock background in place, the margins of my page still created a little more white space than I was going for.  To solve that problem, I cut some stars from the All Boy cut file out of the same kraft cardstock and layered them over the background piece to create a tone on tone effect.  To make those diecut stars pop just a little bit more, but still not overwhelm the remainder of the design, I colored them with a layer of Wink of Stella brush pen glitter.  The end result turned out to be subtle but cool!

 

 

The fun mix of patterned papers on this page can't be forgotten.  They are all from Jillibean Soup's 'Cool as a Cucumber Soup' collection.  I loved all the patterns so much, I cut 2" squares of my favorites and placed them in an incomplete grid on my background.  Lots of stiching and embellishments tie the entire design together!

 

 

Thanks for joining me today!  I hope you'll stop by the Just Nick blog and let me know what you think of my first post!

XOXO: A Just Nick DT page

I am excited to announce that I've been asked to join the Just Nick design team!  My introduction post went up on the blog last week, where I shared this page using the heart background cut file.



Supplies used: Just Nick Studio - heart background cut file; Chickaniddy - patterned papers, enamel words; Kerri Bradford Studio - stamps; American Crafts - patterned paper; Crate Paper - fabric brad; October Afternoon - buttons; Doodlebug Designs - sequins; Studio Calico - transparent words; Bella Blvd - felt bow; Hero Arts - black ink; Other: machine stitching, date stamp, Veteran Typewriter font.

It's no secret that I can't get enough of using hearts on my pages and projects, so naturally I chose this to be the first of Nicole's cut files to work with.  I've been hanging on to a stack of the Chickaniddy papers that I ordered from Paper Issues awhile back.  All the fun prints and colors I had accumulated were great fillers for this open heart design.  Throw in a few sequins, stitching and miscellaneous embellishments and it makes for a fun and colorful focal point of the page.

 

I printed my journaling strategically below the cut file and finished off that part of the page with a transparent diecut word, stapled to the page, to act as my title.

 

I picked up some of the Chickaniddy enamel pieces to coordinate with the papers I purchased, so I of course, had to sneak a couple of those onto my page.  How fun are the enamel words?!?  This ' love you' sentiment fit in well with the journaling and overall theme to my page.

 

 

I hope you'll stop by my intro post on the Just Nick blog and say HI!  I'll be back again tomorrow to share another Just Nick DT page.  See you then!

 

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!

My 2 Boys: A Scrapbook Page & FREE cut file

I was thrilled to receive an email awhile back from the one and only Nicole Nowosad.  If you love scrapbooking, you probably already know who Nicole is.  She is a rock star designer and can do magic with patterned paper and her silhouette machine! Nicole designs a monthly FREE cut file for Scrapbook and Cards Today magazine (among various other crafty accolades!). She always designs an amazing layout, showing the cut file in action on the SCT blog and this month she asked me to share my take on designing with that cut file too.  Here's a look at the file she designed...

 

Isn't it great?  There are so many different ways and mediums with which this design could be used.  Here is the page that I designed...

Supplies used: Cardstock, thickers & cork hearts - American Crafts; Patterned Paper - Simple Stories, Pebbles; Wood veneers - Studio Calico; Stamps - Ali Edwards; Ink - Stampin' Up, Hero Arts; Epoxy embellishments - Jillibean Soup; Transparent die cut - Basic Grey; Tools - Silhouette, sewing machine.

I loved the punched circle cut file so much that I super sized it to make up the background of my scrapbook page.  I had fun filling in all of the circles with photos, journaling, patterned paper, stamping and lots of decorative elements to document my story.  

A pint sized version of the file was a fun way to fill in a few of the background circles too.  Cutting the smaller version of the file from white cardstock and laying it over top of a white background creates more of a textural effect.  I also made sure to arrange the circle backed circles into a visual triangle to help guide and direct the flow of the page. 

 

I reserved one of the large circles to hold both my title and journaling.  I had fun mixing and matching some Ali Edwards stamps to create the perfect title, that begins to tell my journaled story.

 

If you want to see the gorgeous page that Nicole designed using this cut file and download a copy for yourself.  Head on over to this post on the Scrapbook and Cards Today blog.

Happy Crafting!

Meeting Charlie: A Scrapbook Page

I showed a small peek of the page I'm sharing today on my instagram account awhile back.  I just couldn't resist sharing how I tucked a few sweet little elements into the back of the Bella pickup truck as my page came together.  Kinda fun, huh?  It was actually sort of a happy little accident.  I knew I wanted to include the baby gear but couldn't find a place for it where it wasn't floating on the page.  The truck bed ended up being the perfect solution!

I don't know what took me so long but I'm finally sharing the page in it's entirety, with you today!

Do you recognize this paper collection?  It's an oldie but goodie from Bella Blvd that I've used quite a bit, but still love and hoard!  I wanted to use many of the patterns included in this line, so cutting my patterned papers and sizing my photos to 3x4 allowed me to do so, while still fitting in four photos on this one page layout.



Supplies used: Bella Blvd - Patterned paper, stickers, chipboard shapes, washi tape, letter stickers; Doodlebug - enamel dots; Simple Stories - label stickers; Other: machine stitching, foam adhesive.

Here's another look at this cute little cluster of elements.  The truck and bottle were cut from patterned paper and the rattle is a coordinating chipboard sticker.  I added a little extra dimension to the truck's wheels with a couple of strategically place enamel dots.

 

I'm quite addicted to labels of every shape and size, as of late.  I love to use them to print bits of journaling, record the date or even stamp on.  This yellow one from the Staples Martha Stewart collection was the perfect size and length to include my subtitle.

Another label, this one from Simple Stories , provides a spot for some additional journaling.  I LOVE those large letter stickers from Bella Blvd.  Seriously, that font is just the cutest - I need it in every color!

 

Thanks for joining me today!  Happy crafting!

 

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!

#SNOWDAY: A Scrapbook Page

Hi crafty friends! In celebration of the first day of spring, I'm sharing a page documenting our adventures in the snow this past winter.  Not the best timing though, huh?!  Well, once you see how bright and colorful this page is, you might just forgive me for mentioning the 'S' word on this first spring day. LOL!



Supplies used: Bella Blvd - patterned papers, icon, border & word stickers, letter stickers, washi tape, button; Doodlebug - brad, enamel dots; Martha Stewart - snowflake punch; American Crafts - cardstock; Other: foam adhesive, machine stitching, computer font - Veteran Typewriter.

I really hoped to convey the fun and memorable time my little family had on one of our winter snow day adventures, when I put together this page.  The first step in doing that was to select some bright and fun patterns.  In my opinion, nothing quite says bright and fun like anything and everything Bella Blvd!  So, I dove into my stash of Bella and went to town pulling bits and pieces from several different collections. 

 

With a handful of 2"x2" photos and lots of colorful prints, I needed to find a way to make sure my page didn't look too busy or chaotic.  Trimming blocks of patterned paper into 2.5" and 3" squares, for which to mount my journaling and smaller sized photos worked out to be a great solution.  It gave each little photo and journaling square, it's own 'home' on the page.

 

These Bella letter stickers are such a playful font.  They worked well, because I had them in a mix of colors to tie in with all of the other patterns and colors of the page.  With the space I had left for the title, I was even able to sneak in some last little bits of journaling.  If possible, I love to break my journaling up throughout the page, as I've done here.  It's an easy way to create movement and guide the reader's eye to all four corners of the layout.

 

As much as I try to avoid it, this Martha Stewart snowflake punch ends up being incorporated to every winter and holiday themed page I make.  I just can't help it - it's just that cute!  On this page, it makes a subtle appearance in a sprinkling of snowflakes tucked in and down the left side of the page.

 

Thanks for allowing me to hang onto winter for just one more day, to share this page with you! 

Happy Friday, friends!  I hope there is some crafting among your weekend plans!